Patlabor: Personal Files
by Desaix
Summary: Chronicles the time between the end of the seriesoavs and the start of the second movie...
1. Episode 01: Another Transfer

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 01: Another Transfer  
  
December 28, 1999  
  
The entire Special Vehicles company was assembled for the ceremony.   
Gomioka, the guest of honor, sat at the long table in front of the  
assembled crowd between his wife and Captain Gotoh. He was having a hard  
time keeping his eyes forward, towards the audience, like he was supposed  
to. Instead, he kept looking nervously at the podium, where Captain Nagumo  
was about to make her announcement.  
  
"...And with the formation of the Third Unit, I am pleased to announce the  
promotion of one of my best Labor pilots. Without further ado, let me  
present... CAPTAIN Gomioka!"  
  
Shinobu stepped back and to her right while gesturing towards the  
microphone. Gomioka slowly stood up and walked up to the lectern,  
accidentally brushing by her as she moved to her seat next to Gotoh.   
Clearing his throat a little, he waited for the clapping to die down before  
he addressed the assembly.  
  
"This was... completely unexpected. When I heard that the Special Vehicles  
division was forming a third unit, I was certain that I would not be  
selected as its commander- I figured a command car officer or a desk  
officer from outside of Special Vehicles would be promoted into the slot.   
I certainly didn't expect I'D be the one to be promoted... But now that I  
am, I want to thank those who brought me here- My command car officer,  
Akito Kenichi; my transport driver, Tazaki Hiroaki; and, most especially,  
the person who recommended me for the job- Captain Nagumo." He paused for  
the polite applause that followed. "I will do my best to not fail the  
trust the Special Vehicles division, and my former captain, has placed in  
me." He winced at his own words, but recovered in order to finish with a  
"Thank you" before returning to his seat. He noticed Gotoh looking at him  
oddly when he first mentioned Shinobu, and he still felt the stare of the  
unusual commander of Unit Two as he sat down. 'What is his problem, anyway?'  
he wondered, as he whispered something into Shinobu's ear. He saw her nod,  
and she stood up and went back to the podium.  
  
"That is all for today," she began. "But the members of Unit Two and Akito  
Kenichi are asked to stay behind for a moment. Dismissed."  
  
The maintainance squad, most of Unit One's personnel, and most of the  
guests (including Kanuka Clancy, who had flown back from the states on  
Gomioka's invitation- the two of them had formed a pretty decent friendship  
based on mutual admiration of skill and professionalism) stood up and  
walked to the reception area in order to stuff their faces. Asuma  
Shinohara snorted.  
  
"Great, now we aren't going to get anything to eat," he muttered to Noa,  
the young redhead sitting to his right, barely relaxing her shoulder into  
his.  
  
"Maybe it won't take too long," she soothed, despite being slightly annoyed  
herself. It wasn't often they had anything other than fish, tomatoes, or  
chinese takeout at the Special Vehicles headquarters.  
  
Ohta, sitting behind the two of them, raged. "Will you two think without  
your stomaches for once! This could be serious!"  
  
Shinohara rolled his eyes. "Relax, Ohta... it's not like I was going to  
walk out of this meeting, after all."  
  
Noa nodded, frowning. "Besides, it's hard to think when you're hungry."  
  
"I'll save some for you all! This looks like business, so I'm going on  
ahead," Tamiko, Shinshi's wife, announced.  
  
"I'll see you later, honey," Shinshi said, smiling. His smile became  
nervous as he realized his wife was waiting for him to do more, and kissed  
her goodbye, blushing fiercely.  
  
Tamiko immediately became her bouncy and energetic self. "Bye, Miki!" she  
exhaulted, hugging him fiercely in return before dashing out to join the  
party.  
  
"'Bye, Miki,'" Ohta mocked. "What a pathetic display! Police officers  
should not be married- it distracts them from their work."  
  
Gomioka, hearing Ohta's comments, frowned. His wife, following Shinshi's  
wife out the door, spun around. "Excuse me?!" she screached. "Do you mean  
that my husband should never have married me?!"  
  
Ohta backed away from the enraged female. "Uh, no! I mean... uh... sorry,  
Mrs. Gomioka...."  
  
"Hmph," she snorted angrily, turning to leave. "Well, you should be!"  
  
Hiromi just looked around nervously during the whole exchange, worried that  
another fight was going to break out between Ohta and Shinshi- the last one  
had been over Noa's game of catch, and had resulted in a softball flying  
into his chicken cage. Akemi still hadn't recovered her old egg  
production, she had been so scared.  
  
Akito Kenichi just looked around him, wondering why he had been left with  
all these crazy people.  
  
Gotoh, who somehow had made it to up to the lectern without anyone else  
noticing, tapped the microphone to get everyones attention. "Um, excuse  
me, but I think we should get down to business, and maybe we'll make it out  
of here before the maintainance squad attacks poor Tamiko for hording the  
food she promised for us." Everyone quieted down and turned their  
attention to the podium. "With the promotion of Gomioka and the formation  
of the new unit, we are forced to re-organize personel in order to provide  
him with at least one veteran team. So, Mr. Kenichi, you are joining your  
former pilot. You will report to the Third Unit tommorow. You can go now,  
unless you want to know who your new partners will be." Akito looked  
longingly at the door, but decided he'd wait at least until he knew who his  
new Labor pilot would be. "We'll promote Tazaki to take your place in the  
first unit, and add a rookie pilot and driver to replace him and Gomioka.   
Now, as far as Unit 2 is concerned... one pilot and one driver will be  
leaving my unit to join Unit 3."  
  
The low chatter that had been going on since Gotoh had started talking  
ceased, and everyone looked at him with widening eyes, waiting for him to  
continue.   
  
Kumagami stepped forward and turned around to face the rest of the unit.   
"This was a hard choice, but it was for the best. I felt as if Shinohara  
had better chemistry with his team, and I also believe I would be better at  
adapting rookies to the Special Vehicles division, so... Ohta, Shinshi... I  
enjoyed the time we've had together, but I am afraid that I volunteered you  
to the Third Unit."  
  
Shinshi made a face. "You mean I'm being transferred but I STILL have to  
put up with this marraige-hater? Ugh!"  
  
Ohta looked stricken- not at Shinshi's words, but at Kumagami's  
announcement. Slowly, he stood and turned to leave the room.  
  
"Hey, Ohta- you were not dismissed!" Gomioka snapped.  
  
He spun around and looked Gomioka straight in the eye. "With all due  
respects, SIR, I am still a member of Unit 2 until tomorrow- and unless one  
of my superiors from that unit orders me to stay, I am leaving. Goodbye."   
With that, he slowly marched out of the doors into the parking lot, not even   
bothering to spare a glance at the door leading to the reception.   
Everyone's eyes followed him in shock.  
  
"What's wrong with Ohta?" Noa asked, voicing the question that no-one else  
was willing to ask.  
  
Shinohara grimaced, looking around. "Come on," he said, tugging her  
shoulder to indicate she should follow him.  
  
*****  
  
A bus pulled to a stop outside of the small plot of reclaimed land that  
served as Special Vehicle's headquarters. Seven people stepped out and  
looked around in wonder.  
  
"We have to work in this hell-hole from now on?" a disagreeable young man  
with a mop of hair on his head groaned.  
  
Another young man who's nose looked like it had been broken about a dozen  
times snorted. "Shut up, Mashimo. You've done nothing but complain since  
we went to labor training."  
  
"You shut up too, Seiroku!" Mashimo shouted. "You've been complaining just  
as much!"  
  
"Yes, but I've been justified!" Seiroku replied.  
  
"Um, excuse me," a cute female voice broke in. "Can you two please settle  
this argument inside? It's cold out here, and I don't want to be late."  
  
The two arguing men looked at her at the same time. She had curly hair  
which made her even more cute than she already was as her wide eyes looked  
down her button nose imploringly.  
  
"Um... right," they both said at once, glaring at each other once more  
before turning and leading the rest of them into the large warehouse-like  
building down the road in front of them.  
  
*****  
  
"Ohta?" Noa began cautiously, Shinohara standing behind her. The other  
labor pilot didn't move a muscle when she called his name. "Ohta, what's  
wrong?"  
  
"Yeah, Ohta... Normally, you couldn't be happier if you got promoted,"  
Shinohara commented.  
  
"Promoted?" Ohta replied hoarsely. "What do you mean, 'promoted?'"  
  
"Your transfer means you'll be the senior labor pilot," Asuma noted.  
  
Ohta turned to face them and laughed sadly. For the first time, the two  
who had come to check up on him saw the bottle of sake he was cradling in  
his lap, almost empty. "Oh, really? Shinohara, you, of all people, should  
know that isn't true. You were with me when we left Unit 1." Ohta took  
the last swig of his bottle before continuing. "They said the exact same  
thing- that the transfer was not a punishment, despite what they said about  
the other team working better together, but a promotion- I'd be the senior  
labor pilot in Captain Gotoh's squadron- I'd have command of labor one,  
after all!" He snorted. "That lasted all of two weeks. When the new  
labors arrived, along with your girlfriend over there, guess where I was  
again? Back in labor number two, and a rookie was made senior over me!"   
Sighing, he leaned back. "This is just like the last time- I'm being moved  
into the new unit because the other team works better together, but I'm not  
supposed to worry because I'll be the senior labor pilot. Sorry, I don't  
believe that- I think you all are just trying to get rid of me!"  
  
Noa blushed. 'Girlfriend?' she asked herself. Looking at her partner, she  
couldn't tell for herself if it was true or not. They seemed to do just  
about everything together, and they were very comfortable together- there  
had been times when they were so relaxed sitting back to back that one or  
the other of them would just fall asleep. She also remembered one vacation  
right before a civil war had broken out- she had been wondering if piloting  
Alphonse was enough of a reason to stay in the Special Vehicles division  
and risk her life on a near daily basis. Then Asuma had called, asking if  
she wanted to get together and do something, and she was so excited that  
he'd called... she knew then that he, too, was part of why she stayed in  
the SV2. She smiled, remembering how she knew her father was jealous of  
her for having someone like Shinohara nearby all of the time. Then that  
war made her put aside all the thoughts she'd had in that little time  
they'd spent together. So she knew he meant something to her... still, he  
seemed to act as little more than what he said- a friend- and he always  
seemed to be more interested in Kanuka than anyone else. But did he? What  
was all of that about a pilot and command car needing to function as 'two  
in one?' And did she think of him as more than a friend herself?  
  
Shinohara, however, had missed that little accusation about his  
relationship with Noa. He was thinking too much about the rest of what  
Ohta had said. "Get rid of you? Ohta, is that what you think we want?   
You're our friend! We might sometimes think you're a bit uptight, or that  
you're too obsessed with guns, but we certainly don't want you gone!"  
  
"Oh?!" Ohta shouted accusingly. "Prove it to me! Help me stay with the  
Second unit!"  
  
"How?" Asuma asked.  
  
"I... I don't know..." Ohta admitted, breaking down.  
  
Asuma thought about it for a second. "Well, I don't think I can do that...  
but there might be something else I can do. Noa!"  
  
Noa blinked, looking at him in surprise. While wondering if she was his  
girlfriend, she had forgotten he was standing right there- in fact, she  
forgot why they were there.  
  
"Um, uh... Yes, Asuma?"  
  
"Come on, we've got to talk to Captain Gomioka."  
  
"Uh, right... coming, Asuma."  
  
*****  
  
The seven people who had left the bus stood at attention in front of  
Special Vehicle's three captains. Gomioka and Shinobu were inspecting the  
uniforms of the assembled people, while Gotoh sat with his feet on his  
desk, casually looking at the new recruits from his chair.  
  
"Name?" Gomioka asked.  
  
"Joudo Ishikawa, sir," a short, thin, balding man answered. Despite having  
lost some hair, he appeared to be in his mid-twenties.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Yamane Seiroku," the man with a broken nose spat out.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Natsume Kawai, sir," the cute young girl who had been cold replied.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Kenji Iguchi, sir," a nondescript man shrugged. He doubted anyone would  
remember his name in the morning.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Yoshi Tobe, sir," a man who's looks would be pleasant if it weren't for a  
scar over his left eye.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Koichi Miyagi, SIR!" came the enthusiastic response of a man with a  
friendly looking smile.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Ueki Mashimo," the disagreeable mop-haired man said, yawning.  
  
Gomioka and Shinobu finished their inspection and stepped out from the new  
recruits and nodded to them. "Well, it is too late to do much more today.   
Tomorrow, we will divide you among the various units and you can begin  
learning your duties," Shinobu announced. "There are three slots in Unit 3  
with Captain Gomioka, and two slots each in Units 1 and 2, commanded by  
Captain Gotoh and myself. I suggest you settle down into your quarters and  
get some rest- tomorrow will be a big day for all of you. Dismissed."  
  
The rookies shuffled out of the room slowly, mumbling to themselves.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Shinobu asked both Gomioka and Gotoh.  
  
"A typical bunch of rookies- you have some troublemakers, some  
exceptionally well disciplined people, and a few people who are harmless  
but probably not very good policemen," Gotoh considered. "But we'll know  
more tomorrow."  
  
"Uh..." Gomioka muttered, not sure of how to proceed. "Well, I've never  
had to worry about this sort of thing before, but... I think they'll do all  
right." In truth, he thought Gotoh's assessment was pretty accurate, but  
he needed to say something.  
  
Before anyone could continue, a knocking erupted from the office door.   
"Come in!" Gotoh called.  
  
Shinohara and Noa burst into the door. "Well, we found out why Ohta was so  
upset."  
  
The three captains looked at one another and blinked. "Well?" Shinobu  
prompted, curious despite not being involved in the whole situation.  
  
"Captain Gomioka, do you remember when he was the junior labor pilot in  
Unit 1?" Shinohara asked. Gomioka nodded, and he continued. "Well, do  
you remember what we all told him when he and I were transferred to form  
the nucleus of Unit 2?"  
  
"No..." the captain replied, thinking. "Can't say I do."  
  
"Well, we told him that he was being transferred because the senior labor  
crew had better chemistry, but he that he wasn't being punished- he was  
being promoted to the senior labor pilot of the second unit. When Noa  
arrived, however, she was made the senior pilot despite his greater  
experience. He believes we are doing the same thing again."  
  
Gotoh's eyes widened as he heard this. "And why did no-one tell me he was  
promised this when they transferred him to my command?"  
  
Shinobu looked embarrassed. "Er... my apologies... I didn't even think  
about it."  
  
Gomioka frowned. "So what does this mean?"  
  
Shinohara bit his lower lip. "Captain Gomioka, do you think you make  
certain that there is no competition for senior labor pilot in the third  
unit- that you assign that position to Ohta irregardless of how the rookies  
do?"  
  
The new captain had no clue how to handle that request. He knew from their  
days together that Ohta was a reckless, overbearing man who was obsessed  
over the labor's firearms, and it would probably be irresponsible to  
promise such a position to a man like that. But... he looked up into  
Shinobu's eyes, and saw the guilt she felt over the situation. She had  
made a promise, and had forgotten about it- and that caused the current  
mess. He could not just do nothing for her when he had a choice.  
  
"Very well, Mr. Shinohara," he said, nodding to the young man. "Go and  
tell him that he cannot be displaced as senior pilot because of the  
rookies' contest tomorrow."  
  
*****  
  
"I'm... sorry for having said what I did, Shinohara," Ohta said, walking  
with Asuma and Noa towards the reception area. They had all given up hope  
of getting any food, but at least they could join in on the fun and  
entertainment before it was over. "I do not really believe you were trying  
to get rid of me- I was just..."  
  
"Relax- I know you were upset, but don't worry about it. Captain Gomioka  
promised me that he would not let the same thing happen to you this time.   
Now, come on and have some fun- this is your last day with Unit 2. Enjoy  
it with us."  
  
They entered the party, already in progress. Tamiko, dragging her husband  
behind her, immediately ran up to them. "There you three are!" she  
effervesced. "I've barely been able to keep these for you!" With that,  
the turned to her husband and took three plates full of food from him,  
handing them to Noa, Asuma, and Ohta in a flash. "Come on, eat up! Enjoy  
yourself!" With that, she returned to the center of the party, mingling  
with the other party-goers. Music was playing and people were dancing in  
one corner of the room, and Noa grabbed Shinohara off so that they could  
get in a dance or two when they finished their food (not that she had  
decided that she was his girlfriend or anything, she reminded herself, but  
they DID do this sort of thing together every now and then). Ohta looked  
dumbstruck, however, as Kumagami and Kanuka broke off dancing (much to the   
annoyance of the men in the room, as there were only a half dozen women to   
dance with, three of them (Tamiko, Gomioka's wife, and Noa) appeared   
attached while a fourth (Gotoh's niece) was a bit too young) and, joined  
by Hiromi, approached him.  
  
"Ohta, I'm glad to see you are feeling better," Hiromi said, putting one of  
his giant hands on the other man's shoulder. "I will miss having you as a  
part of our family here in the Second Unit, but you are always welcome to a  
tomato when I pick them!"  
  
"I'm sorry to force you out when you obviously did not want to go,"  
Kumagami comforted, also placing her hand on Ohta's shoulder. "I think,  
however, that your experience will serve the Third Unit greatly."  
  
Kanuka smiled slyly at Ohta. "I don't particularly care if you leave the  
second unit or not, Ohta." She turned and started to walk away. Looking  
over her shoulder, she continued, "After all, that means I'll have an  
excuse to start shaping up another one of these shoddy Japanese Patlabor  
units..."  
  
Ohta smiled, a few small tears forming in the corners of his eyes. No,  
Unit Two was not trying to get rid of him. Making a mental note to try and  
keep in touch with everyone, he walked with them into the middle of the  
party.  
  
-------------------------  
Episode 1 Closing Notes:  
Don't worry about the new characters taking over- they're mostly extras,  
with one or two protagonists thrown in. And don't worry about me ignoring  
any of the main characters- I plan on dealing with all THREE units about  
evenly.  
  
Next Episode:  
The new recruits get transferred to the various units, and Kanuka visits  
her grandmother.  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee  
desaix@sysnet.net  
fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  



	2. Episode 02: The Tournament

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 02: The Tournament  
  
December 29, 1999  
  
Takeo Kumagami stood before the captains' office, report in hand. She made  
three quick raps, and waited. "Enter!" Gomioka's voice echoed through the  
door. She stepped in and looked around. Gomioka was the only person in  
the room, busily putting files into the drawer of his new desk.  
  
"Where's Captain Gotoh?" she asked.  
  
"Outside with Captain Nagumo," he sighed, grimacing. "They're getting  
everything prepared for the placement tournament today. We got the  
training labors ready this morning for the combat to be held in, but they  
still need to get the awning set up for the tournament's spectators, and  
didn't want to wait for everyone else to wake up."  
  
"You don't seem too happy about it," Kumagami observed, smiling slightly.  
  
"Huh?" He blinked, only just realizing he had been frowning. "Oh, I'm  
just annoyed that I can't join them. Too much to do in order to set up the  
new unit."  
  
"Oh? Do you want me to help you out?"  
  
Gomioka considered her for a moment. "Perhaps you can. When they offered  
you the command, did you think of things like what type of labors you would  
request, or whether you would want two four-hour shifts a day or one  
eight-hour shift, should you be given that option? Or what sort of basic  
rules you would establish?"  
  
"Hmm..." Kumagami considered. "No, I was too busy trying to decide if I  
wanted to take the job or not, but I can probably help you at least with  
the labor question. I'd order two Ingrams and one Peacemaker."  
  
"You would? Why?"  
  
She smiled. "Well, I've hung around Shinohara a bit, and he seems to know  
quite a bit about the technical details of our labors. I've heard him  
explain it before. It's like making a choice between a manual or an  
automatic car- a manual transmission has much better handling and works  
much smoother than an automatic, IF you're familiar with it, though an  
automatic is easier to use, regardless. The Ingram is like a manual,  
whereas the Zero is like an automatic. Given that the Academy still only  
has the Ingram trainers, I'd say the cadets will probably know the controls  
well enough to put it to good effect."  
  
Gomioka nodded. "Makes sense... but then why get the Peacemaker?"  
  
Kumagami shrugged. "It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally the  
second unit has needed to use all three labors in its operations. If your  
team ever encounters a similar situation, one of the command car officers  
would need to pilot it, and since they rarely get time inside of a labor  
unless the unit is having a refresher course at the Academy, it would be  
better for them to get one which would work pretty good whether you're  
familiar with the controls or not."  
  
Gomioka nodded. "I think I'll take your suggestion," he said, writing down  
something on a form in front of him. "Too bad I can't make this order  
until the factory re-opens on the second. It's already supposed to be  
three weeks at the earliest before they'll be able to send me the new  
labors, and until they do my unit will have to use the old 97's we had  
mothballed from before the Zeros showed up." He sighed. "So, any chance  
you can help me with my other problems?"  
  
She smiled, walking over to Gotoh's desk and setting her report on his  
chair for when he got back. "Sorry, but I've got other things to take care  
of. I'm supposed to give the pre-tournament lecture to the cadets in five  
minutes, so I've got to get going. I'd suggest you ask Shinobu for advice,  
however. Don't ask Gotoh, though- while he's a good captain, his methods  
are... unconventional, and probably wouldn't work for you."  
  
"Ask... Captain Nagumo... for advice. Yes, that sounds like a good idea.   
Thank you, Luitenant Kumagami."  
  
"Any time, Captain Gomioka..."  
  
*****  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to stick around and see the tournament,  
Kanuka? It seems a shame for you to do all this work and not at least see  
how things turn out," Shinohara urged. He, Noa, and Kanuka Clancy had  
joined Gotoh and Shinobu nearly a half-hour beforehand, and were helping  
them set up the folding chairs.  
  
"I'm only in Tokyo for a few days, this time," Clancy replied. "I should  
really visit my grandmother while I'm here, but if I stay for the  
tournament..."  
  
"You won't have any time for her," Noa finished. She looked over at Asuma  
briefly, her stomach clenching. 'Why does he want her to stay, anyway?'   
She couldn't forget Ohta's drunken proclamation of her being Shinohara's  
girlfriend, and the thought that he might like Kanuka better than her- or  
worse, that he might want both her and Kanuka to be a sort of harem for  
him- troubled her. She still wasn't sure she regarded him as her  
boyfriend, though, so why should she be so upset?  
  
"Hey, Noa," Shinohara began, attracting her attention. "Is something  
wrong? You look like you've got another toothache!"  
  
"Huh?" Noa asked, startled. "Oh, no, I was just thinking about  
something..."  
  
"Good. You were unbearable the last time," Asuma grinned before turning  
back to his work.  
  
"So who's going to be the guest participant, now that I'm unavailable?"  
Kanuka asked.  
  
"Huh?" both Izumi and Shinohara asked.  
  
"Captain Gotoh asked me to participate in the tournament as the experienced  
guest, like Gomioka did when we had our tournament. I assumed that, since  
I wasn't able to do it, he'd have asked someone else..."  
  
"I did," Gotoh said, surprising them all as he slipped in behind them.  
  
"Who?" Noa asked, curious.  
  
"Officer Ohta. I've told him he's not allowed to use his gun... supposedly  
to give him a handicap against the rookies."  
  
Shinohara smirked. "That might make him a good test, if he listens."  
  
"If he doesn't, he's going to have problems- we've taken the gun out of his  
training labor," Gotoh commented. "Say, Kanuka, shouldn't you be heading  
to your grandmothers shortly? You told me you'd promised to fix her  
lunch."  
  
As he spoke, Kanuka's watch started beeping. "Perfect timing, captain.   
I've got to go."  
  
"Are we going to see you again before you go, Kanuka?" Shinohara asked.   
Noa's stomach clenched again.  
  
"No, I don't believe so," Clancy answered. Her eyes flashed towards Noa.   
"You might not have a toothache, but something's sure bothering you...  
maybe you should rest for a bit."  
  
"Uh, maybe," she answered noncommittally.  
  
*****  
  
"First match," Shinobu announced. "Kenji Iguchi vs. Yoshi Tobe."  
  
"Bow!" Gomioka, officiating the tournament, called to the two labors  
through his megaphone. When both rose to their full height, he waved the  
flag he was holding signaling the start of the match.  
  
Yoshi's labor charged in, throwing a punch as it reached within an arm's  
length of Kenji's, but he misjudged the range and missed by inches.   
Kenji's own labor stepped forwards, delivering a punch of its own. Yoshi  
raised his labor's arms to protect his face, but the blow landed in the  
breast-plate, knocking him off-balance. The labor waved its arms  
frantically in a desperate attempt to remain upright, but only succeeded in  
looking foolish and dismembering itself as it fell.  
  
"Enough!" Gomioka cried, waving the flag again to indicate the end of the  
match. "Winner, Kenji Iguchi!"  
  
"Pathetic," one of the higher-ranking visitors in the seats muttered. Most  
of the other observers agreed with the sentiment.  
  
Shige looked over the damaged labor as the maintenance squad carried off  
its remains. "Sheesh... this will take a week to fix, at least."  
  
Yoshi Tobe, his face flaming enough to make his scar look even more  
pronounced, walked over to the stands. "I didn't think I'd do THAT  
badly..." he said apologetically.  
  
Gomioka grimaced the moment Tobe couldn't see him. He knew Yoshi would  
wind up in his unit before the day was over, after a performance like that.  
'First Ohta, now this... am I going to have a unit staffed entirely by  
incompetents?'  
  
*****  
  
"Next match, Ueki Mashimo vs. Yamane Seiroku," Gotoh called. Shinobu was  
inside reviewing the tape of the first fight, and when Ueki and Yamane were  
done he would switch with her and review the tape of this match.  
  
"Hopefully, this will be better than the last fight," Shinohara commented.   
The others of Unit Two around him could only nod in agreement.  
  
"WELL!" the mop-haired Mashimo called out to Seiroku as the later's labor  
joined his on the battlefield. "Looks like we can have this out once and  
for all!"  
  
"That we can," Yamane answered calmly. "That we can."  
  
"BOW!" Gomioka's voice cried out. The flag came down, and the battle was  
joined.  
  
It was, indeed, a better fight than the last. Mashimo launched a furious  
offensive, striking out repeatedly with his electromagnetic baton like a  
katana. Seiroku coolly blocked with his own, waiting to his opponent to  
finish blowing off steam. When the attacks slowed, he struck.  
  
With one strike, the hand Mashimo's labor was wielding the baton with lay  
on the ground. With another, the legs were cut out from under him, and the  
match was over.  
  
"Winner, Yamane Seiroku!" Gomioka called.  
  
"Wow..." Noa, sitting in the third row back, breathed.  
  
"Impressive," Shinohara, sitting next to her, agreed. "But I think their  
rivalry might have let them learn how to fight each other better than they  
would fight someone else. In a real fight, I'm not sure Yamane would have  
known when to counterattack."  
  
"You think so? Still, it was an impressive battle," Takeo, listening in  
from behind them, commented.   
  
Before they could say anymore, Gotoh passed in front of them, holding the  
tape of the fight in his right hand.  
  
"Kumagami, could you take over for me?" he asked. "Shinobu isn't finished  
reviewing the tape of the first fight yet, and we need someone to announce  
the fights and keep an eye on the recording equipment."  
  
"Yes, sir," Kumagami acknowledged. Smiling as Gotoh left, she turned to  
Noa and Asuma. "Do you two want to join me up front? You might be able to  
get a better view of the fight from up close..."  
  
"Yeah... I'm tired of having to crane my neck to see over everyone's head,"  
Shinohara answered for the both of them. Noa was a little uncertain she  
wanted Asuma to speak for her, like always, but decided to go along with  
him anyway- so far, he'd never made her do something she hadn't wanted   
eventually wanted to do, anyway. Perhaps he just knew her that well- the   
thought seemed to warm her a bit. If she was his girlfriend, at least he   
understood her. Maybe.  
  
They made their way to the front table, and Takeo set the video camera up  
to record the fight. Shinohara and Noa sat at the end of the table, almost  
to the right of most of the rest of the seats, and chatted a little while  
the labors got into position.  
  
"The next match," Kumagami announced, "Is Joudo Ishikawa vs. Natsume  
Kawai."  
  
Natsume looked very nervous sitting in her labor, waiting for the fight to  
begin. Being nervous made her tremble, and trembling made her look even  
cuter than usual. Being cuter than usual caught Asuma's attention.  
  
Noa growled a little when she notice Shinohara ogling the young girl, and  
got out of her seat and walked away from him, standing outside of the  
awning that was covering the spectator area.  
  
*****  
  
"Now that's odd," Gotoh said, reviewing the tape of Yamane and Ueki's  
battle. "The hand came off almost too easily." He punched the intercom  
button. "Mr. Sakaki?"  
  
"Yes?" his hoarse voice rumbled back.  
  
"Can you make a close inspection of the hand joint for Officer Mashimo's  
labor? Something about the way it fell off looks funny."  
  
"I already did," Sakaki's voice replied. "Training needs a better  
maintenance squad. The bolt holding that hand on it was rusted through,  
and was only supported by the wires that controlled the fingers. It was  
amazing it stayed on as long as it did."  
  
"Hmm..." Gotoh said. "So no foul play involved, but Officer Seiroku had an  
unfair advantage which may have effected the outcome. I'll note that."  
  
*****  
  
The flag came down, and again a pair of labors faced off against each  
other. Natsume, despite her nerves, put up a decent fight, but it was  
obvious after the first minute that she was overmatched- she had already  
lost her baton and was on the retreat. In desperation, she drew her gun,  
before being knocked onto her side.  
  
Asuma caught sight of the trigger-finger moving, and leapt to his feet. It  
wasn't aimed at him, but he saw who it was aimed for and made his move.  
  
"NOA, LOOK OUT!"  
  
"Eh?" Noa asked, in shock. All she could think of was that silly lesson  
Gotoh and Shinobu tried to give to Unit 2 when they went for retraining,  
where he tried to convince Ohta of the dangers of using his gun too much by  
faking an accident with a training gun, and how closely this resembled it.   
She was startled back into reality when she felt herself bodily shoved  
aside, landing several feet out of the path of the paint cartridge as it  
flew passed the audience and into the building behind them.  
  
Shinohara stood up painfully. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling Noa to her  
feet.  
  
"I... I think so..." Noa answered, dazed. 'He risked his life for me?' she  
wondered.  
  
*****  
  
It took a full half hour for order to be restored after the gun accident.   
Asuma took Noa back into the compound with the intention of getting her a  
drink to calm down, and Natsume had to be taken off by the medics- she  
wouldn't have squeezed the trigger is a piece of wire jarred loose by the  
fall hadn't jabbed her in the arm, forcing her hand to clench. Some of the  
guests went home, but most had stayed and were waiting for the tournament  
to resume. The maintenance crew cleared the field, taking the damaged  
labor back into the shed for inspection, and the final match of the first  
round was ready to begin.  
  
"Next match, Ohta Isao vs. Koichi Miyagi," Shinobu called. Gotoh still had  
to finish reviewing the tape he'd been working on, and then would have to  
watch the Joudo\Natsume fight as well.  
  
"Bow." The two labors bowed, and then the fight began.  
  
The fight was even matched for a long time. When Ohta attacked, Koichi  
dodged. When Koichi attack, Ohta blocked. Both occasionally went for the  
kill, but neither delivered a decisive blow. The battle lasted for several  
hours, but soon the two labors were both in trouble.  
  
Ohta was the first to notice the problem. His labor's main monitor went  
black, and began blinking 'Low Battery' in big red letters. He cursed. He  
was out of time.  
  
Koichi's battery started failing less than a minute later, but he was  
lucky. By that time, Ohta's power was gone. The match was over.  
  
"Winner, Koichi!"  
  
Ohta growled. 'Not again!'  
  
*****  
  
"I'm home, grandma!" Kanuka called.  
  
"Hello, Kanuka," a hoarse female voice answered.  
  
"Grandma, are you okay? You sound horrible!" Kanuka exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, it's just a cold... don't mind me," her grandmother said, coughing a  
little. "How are things?"  
  
"Well, I was promised a raise and possibly a promotion in a few months. My  
partner in New York, Leslie Desaix, recently found out that his sister is  
pregnant... Special vehicles is gaining some new officers. But I'm only  
here for a few days, and wanted to visit, not talk about my job. Is your  
cold too bad to go out with?"  
  
Kanuka's grandmother looked at her granddaughter with a sad smile. "Well,  
maybe. I'm feeling a little weak, but I think if I bundle up I'll be fine,  
if you want to go out to dinner."  
  
"I'll get your coat," Kanuka said.  
  
As she walked out of eyeshot, her grandmother took out the report the  
doctor had given her and hid it underneath the seat cushion. 'I can't tell  
you yet, granddaughter... Maybe when you aren't able to come back and take  
care of me, but if I told you now you'd fuss over me so much and all you  
would try to do would just aggravate my condition... No, I can't tell you  
yet...'  
  
*****  
  
"Hey, Noa, you okay?" Asuma asked, a note of concern in his voice.  
  
Noa just sat next to him, a few feet away from Alphonse, staring off into  
space. Shinohara repeated himself, trying to get her to snap out of her  
shock. Slowly, she turned her head towards him, her eyes unblinking.   
"Why?"  
  
Asuma looked confused. "Why what?"  
  
"You could have been killed saving me. Why did you do it?"  
  
Shinohara shifted uncomfortably. "Well, a backup and forward have to look  
out for each other, you know?" He smiled nervously. "Besides, who else  
would let me order them around so much?"  
  
"Asuma, do y-" Noa began.  
  
Ohta stormed in, a long line of curses following him. "Low batteries! I  
lost because of some stupid BATTERIES!"  
  
The moment, such as it was, was ruined. They turned towards Ohta in  
surprise. "What are you talking about?" Shinohara asked.  
  
"The tournament! We were tied, but then I lost because I ran out of  
power!"  
  
Noa and Asuma looked at each other in confusion. "Uh... that's not bad,  
actually," Shinohara soothed.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ohta snapped. "I lost- they're going to put me in the  
second labor again!"  
  
"No they won't!" Asuma snapped back. "Gomioka didn't lose his spot as  
first labor pilot- in Unit 1, I might add- when he lost in our tournament.   
In fact, you were fighting at a disadvantage, remember?"  
  
"Well, maybe," Ohta growled. He still wasn't happy, but then again he was  
rarely happy unless he could work with his guns. "We'll see what he does,"  
he continued, turning and stomping off back to his room.  
  
"I guess Ohta's still not over his sudden transfer," Noa commented.  
  
"Guess not," Shinohara agreed. Then he smiled and turned back to her.   
"So, what was it you were going to ask me before we were so rudely  
interrupted?"  
  
"Oh, uh..." Noa wasn't sure what to say. She was going to ask him how he  
really felt about her, but it didn't feel right to talk about that right  
now. The mood was gone. "I was going to ask... if you wanted to go out  
for a drink next time we're off duty- my treat-a way of saying thanks."  
  
Asuma noticed her hesitation. It was almost like she wasn't going to ask  
him that originally... but he figured she could hide whatever it was from  
him if she wanted. Besides, he wasn't one to pass up a free drink. "Sure  
thing..."  
  
*****  
  
"Second round, first match! Yamane Seiroku vs. Koichi Miyagi!" Gotoh's  
voice called out. He was finally back from reviewing the tapes, and  
Shinobu had taken his place in the video room.  
  
"Bow!" The flag came down again, signaling the start of the next set of  
fights. The battle was short and violent- both labors started  
disassembling each other. Seiroku slapped off a chest plate, and in return  
lost an arm at the elbow. The good arm pulled Koichi's labor into his  
knee, but then the leg said knee was connected to disappeared as an  
electromagnetic baton was stabbed into it and violently ripped out.   
Keeping its balance only from it's one good arm, Seiroku directed his labor  
to one last attempt for victory- his free elbow descended upon the  
sensitive head of his opponent- but didn't do enough damage to finish off  
Miyagi- it lacked the added mass the forearm would have provided. A few  
seconds later, Yamane's labor dropped.  
  
"Winner, Koichi Miyagi!"  
  
The two former combatants stepped out of their labors and met at the  
sidelines while the wrecks they had left behind were carted away.  
  
"Impressive win... Koichi, was it?" Seiroku began.  
  
"Thank you, Mr..." Miyagi answered.  
  
"Seiroku. Yamane Seiroku. Call me Yamane," he smiled. "If you do that  
well in the final round, you're certain to win the First Unit slot. Would  
you mind talking a bit about the tactics you used there? I don't remember  
seeing a labor move like that before."  
  
"Well..." Miyagi considered, then smiled. "Sure thing- come on, lets sit  
over there so the next match doesn't disturb us..."  
  
*****  
  
The final match of the round was already in progress by the time Noa and  
Asuma returned to the field. Joudo Ishikawa and Kenji Iguchi were fighting  
fairly evenly, though every now and then one labor would score a point on  
the other. It was getting late into the evening, and several of the  
observers had already gone home. One person who left once already, though,  
had returned.  
  
"Ms... Ms. Izumi?" Natsume Kawai began, after walking over to join her. "I  
want to apologize- it was clumsy of me to be holding on to the gun like  
that when I fell- I should have let go... I could have killed you..."  
  
"That's right- you could have," Shinohara growled. "Be more careful in the  
future!"  
  
"ASUMA!" Noa berated, turning to glare at him. He didn't normally snap at  
cute girls like that- well, actually, maybe he did. After all, didn't he  
basically order her around all the time? Still, he almost made it seem  
like a game to her- she'd realized that when he'd been visiting her at her  
parents home over the family liquor store one time. Looking at him, she  
could tell he was sincerely angry at the young girl. Almost like he was  
when Ohta's obsession with firearms got them in trouble, only a bit more  
serious than that.  
  
"I'm so sorry..." Natsume groveled, almost in tears.  
  
"Oh, that's okay," Noa soothed, warning Asuma not to say anything else with  
a glare. "It was just an accident- if you hadn't been hurt, the gun never  
would have gone off. And I wasn't hurt myself, so don't worry about it."  
  
"Really?" Kawai sniffed, still looking awfully apologetic.  
  
"Really."  
  
Further conversation was cut off by a loud crash as Joudo Ishikawa sent  
Kenji Iguchi's labor tumbling. Another match was over, and the effects of  
a previous one were healed.  
  
*****  
  
"The final match," Gotoh announced, Shinobu on hand. "Is postponed on  
account of darkness."  
  
"What?" "Postponed?" "But labor battles have been fought at night  
before!" "Darkness?" "What's going on!" came various cries from the  
remaining spectators. Joudo Ishikawa and Koichi Miyagi looked at each  
other curiously.  
  
"Yes, the battle COULD still be fought, if we wanted it to be," Shinobu  
began, backing Gotoh up. "But it won't- our video equipment isn't  
sophisticated enough to record the match in enough detail."  
  
"Then who's in which unit?" Ueki Mashimo's voice echoed from somewhere in  
the midst of the crowd that had started to converge on the three captains  
who had made the decision.  
  
"I'm afraid that will have to wait until the tournament is over," Gotoh  
answered. Groans were heard, and people seemed exceedingly disappointed.   
Joudo looked over at Koichi and whispered something in his ear. A few nods  
later, the two recruits approached the captains with a request.  
  
"Sirs," Ishikawa began. "Koichi and I have talked, and in the interest of  
speeding up our assignments, we'd like to call off the last match, consider  
it a draw, and decide who won the tournament by a coin toss."  
  
"Yeah, I analyzed his style from that first match," Miyagi added in  
support. "And I think we're about an even match. A coin toss is all  
that's needed."  
  
Gotoh looked at Shinobu. "What do you think?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know," she considered. "This is a highly irregular request, but  
then again postponing the last match to the next day is also pretty  
unusual..."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Yeah. I think we should allow them to decide it by coin  
toss." He searched through his pockets. "Except I don't seem to have any  
coins... anyone got change for a hundred-yen note?" he asked, holding up  
the bill.  
  
"Here," Gomioka supplied, holding out a few coins. "Use one of these."  
  
Joudo picked up the coin. "Call it in the air," he said, and tossed it.  
  
"Heads!" Koichi cried.  
  
Gotoh picked up the coin and looked at it closely. "Heads it is. Koichi,  
you've just won the tournament. Congrats!" He looked over at the other  
two captains. "We'll retire to the office for a while, and we'll post the  
positions in a couple hours. Hold on, people- we'll be done shortly."  
  
*****  
  
"This is fabulous food, don't you think, Grandma?" Kanuka asked.  
  
Her grandmother nodded. "Yes it is, child. But it's not as good as some  
of your home cooking."  
  
"Oh, quit trying to compliment me. I'm an excellent cop, but as a cook I'm  
only slightly above average."  
  
"I think you underestimate yourself, granddaughter, but I won't push the  
point. You can be very stubborn when you want to be."  
  
The two of them ate on in silence for a few minutes. Kanuka's grandmother  
smiled and looked up at her. "So, have you found anyone special yet? Is  
there a chance I might become a great-grandmother?"  
  
"Grandma!" Kanuka blushed. It took her a few seconds to recover from the  
question before shaking her head. "No, grandma, no-one yet. One of the  
Special Vehicles cops I work with, Asuma Shinohara- I think you remember  
him- and I have flirted with each other off and on, but nothing serious has  
happened, and I don't really think anything will happen with him. I'm  
pretty sure he's too hung-up on his partner for him to get too deeply  
involved with anyone else." She chuckled. "Though considering how she  
seems to love her Patlabor, I wouldn't be surprised is he never makes a  
move on her, either."  
  
"What do you mean, 'love her Patlabor?' Tell me more about them- they  
sound like an interesting pair," her grandmother asked. Kanuka went in to  
a long-winded explanation of Noa Izumi and her labor Alphonse, and how she  
seemed to take better care of her labor than she could herself. Little  
bits about how Asuma seemed to deal with her floated in every now and then-  
how he would both order her around and basically control her and yet allow  
himself to be roped into doing things like cleaning Alphonse from head to  
toe. Eventually, Kanuka's grandmother started fading away.  
  
It wasn't until her grandmother nearly slumped into her food that Kanuka  
realized something was seriously wrong. "Grandma, are you okay? What's  
wrong?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry too much about me, child. I guess the cold I had was  
worse than I thought," she answered faintly. "And I'm probably not able to  
deal with it as well as I used to be able to deal with colds- I am over  
seventy years old, after all. Maybe you should take me home."  
  
Kanuka hailed a waiter and paid for the food. She grabbing a doggy bag and  
helped her grandmother home, wrapping an arm around her to support her.   
When they finally got to the apartment, she dropped her grandmother off  
into bed and covered her warmly in the blankets. She stuffed the food into  
the refrigerator and sat down.  
  
'That's funny,' Kanuka thought. 'Sounds like I sat on some papers...'   
Searching underneath the cushion, she encounters a folder full of paper and  
pulls it out.  
  
"What's this? A medical report?" she says, opening it and starting to  
read.  
  
'No!' she cried out to herself. 'It can't be! Why didn't she tell me!'  
  
*****  
  
Soon, a printout was posted onto the door of the Captains' Office.  
  
"To the new recruits of the Special Vehicles, Section 2-  
As of tomorrow at 0600 hrs, you are to report to the following assignments:  
  
Koichi Miyagi- Unit 1 (Labor Pilot, Labor 2)  
Joudo Ishikawa- Unit 2 (Labor Pilot, Labor 2)  
Kenji Iguchi- Unit 3 (Labor Pilot, Labor 2)  
  
Yamane Seiroku- Unit 3 (Command Car, Labor 2)  
  
Ueki Mashimo- Unit 1 (Transport Driver, Labor 2)  
Natsume Kawai- Unit 2 (Transport Driver, Labor 2)  
Yoshi Tobe- Unit 3 (Transport Driver, Labor 2)  
  
That is all."  
  
--------------------------  
Next Episode: The recruits meet up with their units, Kanuka confronts her  
grandmother about the medical report, and Yamane Seiroku approaches Gomioka  
with a request he's not sure how to deal with.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee  
desaix@sysnet.net  
fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm 


	3. Episode 03: First Day on the Job

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 03: First Day on the Job  
  
December 30, 1999  
  
Kanuka looked at her watch. It was 5:50 in the morning, and she had yet to  
catch a wink of sleep. She looked through the hospital report one more  
time. Apparently, her grandmother had gone in simply to get a prescription  
drug to treat some flu symptoms... The routine medical exam led to more  
tests, the results of which were serious. Congenital heart failure AND  
bronchitis- the heart and the lung were both in trouble. They'd given her  
some medicine to treat the bronchitis, but the more serious problem...  
  
She might live another year or two without serious problems, if she took  
things easy, but the prognosis was fatal. Kanuka's grandmother was dying,  
and there was nothing anyone could do about it.  
  
"Grandma..." Kanuka whispered. It was too early to wake up her grandmother  
yet, and it was probably a bad idea to wake her up anyway, but when she  
did... well, they would have to chat about why this had been kept a secret.  
  
Sighing, Kanuka got up and went to get herself another cup of coffee. She  
had quite a while to wait.  
  
*****  
  
Shinobu stepped in front of the assembled Unit One. Looking at her watch,  
she saw she had five minutes until they were supposed to have assembled.   
She smiled- everyone was early. She liked that in her subordinates. She  
decided to take the extra time to inspect them all.   
  
Yuhki Watanabe was the first one she looked at- he looked happy with his  
promotion into the first labor. Shinobu remembered he used to be a bundle  
of nerves when he arrived- and still sometimes got a little scared in  
situations where he was seemingly overmatched- but her opinion of him had  
been greatly improved by the Griffon incident. Hopefully, he wouldn't take  
his responsibilities as senior labor pilot too seriously, and make himself  
nervous again.  
  
Tazaki Hiroaki was next in line. He WAS looking nervous- it wasn't often a  
transport officer was promoted to the command car. In fact, she hadn't  
heard of it happening before- but then again, there were only five Special  
Vehicles Police Sections (a.k.a., Section 2's) on Japan's main island of  
Honshu- Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, and (officially as the geographic  
center-point of the Western side of the island, but more because of  
political influence than anything- that there were practically no labors in  
the city didn't seem to matter) Kanazawa, and up until now each had only  
two units at most. There wasn't much opportunity for such a promotion to  
occur.  
  
The next person she came to was the old labor driver for labor two, Hideki  
Nomo. He was an older man, and an ex-labor pilot from the original  
Patlabor unit. He'd lost a hand in the line of duty, and was given the job  
of driving around the labors he loved when he refused both desk duty and  
retirement with a full pension. He looked as indefatigable as ever,  
totally unaffected by the shift to labor one.  
  
Finally, she reached her first rookie. Koichi Miyagi, the winner of the  
previous day's tournament by the toss of a coin. He looked level-headed  
enough, and had that enthusiastic shine in his eyes that only came with the  
belief that nothing could harm them. She shook her head imperceptibly,  
knowing that his belief in his own immortality would be shaken soon after  
he began his job. The only person she had seen who had never lost  
confidence after working for a time with the police was that girl in Unit  
Two- Noa Izumi, wasn't it? Somehow, Shinobu suspected Izumi's enthusiasm  
had nothing to do with her job, and instead her love of labors and her  
relationship with that boy Gotoh was grooming to be his successor- Asuma  
Shinohara. She'd heard rumors of the two of them being involved in a  
pretty intense relationship, and considering how he'd risked his life to  
save her during that mishap at the tournament, she suspected it was true.   
Of course, there was an unspoken agreement among everyone in the SV2 not to  
mention it to their superiors- if they ever reached one of the bureaucrats  
above her or Gotoh, the affair would be ended and the officers likely  
suspended.  
  
Shinobu moved on to the next person in line- another veteran, Yuhki's old  
command car officer. Toru Sasaki, another grizzled veteran from the  
original Patlabor unit, had kept his position only by refusing several  
promotions. He claimed that the newer labors gave him motion sickness,  
but also did not want to be transferred out of the SV2. He looked as  
immaculate as always, the brass on his uniform shining and not a single  
hair out of place. He was the consummate police officer in every way.  
  
She moved on to the final officer in her unit- Ueki Mashimo. His hair  
needed to be cut, and looked as if it hadn't been washed or combed in  
years. His expression looked grim and sour, and he had beard whiskers  
protruding from spots of his chin. Facially, he looked like a younger  
Inspector Matsui, but he was somewhat thinner, more muscular... and more  
brutish looking. Well, at least he was more competent than the other two  
she had a chance to take.  
  
She looked at her watch. Six o'clock, on the dot.  
  
"Welcome to our new officers, and welcome back to our old. You may be  
wondering how all of our units have been able to take the past three days  
off while we set up the new unit. Well, we've been covered by Unit Two  
from Kanazawa, but as of 0800 hrs today, they'll be gone. When they are,  
well, we'll take over. The veterans will be pleased to know that, after  
myself and Captains Gotoh and Gomioka discussed the various options last  
night, we now have only sixteen hours of on-base shifts. Between 0800 and  
1600 hrs, this unit is on duty, and Unit Two will be on standby backing us  
up while Unit Three will be off. Between 1600 hrs and midnight, we have OFF,  
while Unit Two will be on duty and Unit Three will be on standby. However,  
if any of you aren't back on base for standby duty for Unit Three's duty  
shift by 0001 hrs, rest assured I will not be happy." She glanced at her  
officers, and nodded. "Until our duty shift, however, I want the veterans  
to show our rookies around. Dismissed."  
  
Shinobu smiled as Takeo and Tazaki paired off to take Koichi Miyagi around,  
while the two veterans from the original Patlabor unit took the  
rough-looking Ueki Mashimo around- possibly to discuss something about  
grooming. They would keep her command well-respected and efficient, just  
like it had been when Gomioka was there.  
  
*****  
  
Joudo Ishikawa looked at the clock on the wall. The meeting was supposed  
to have started five minutes ago- where was everyone? Was he in the right  
room? Did he get the time wrong? What?  
  
A short, curly-haired, button-nosed, wide-eyed bundle of energy burst into  
the room. "I sorry I'm late- my alarm didn't work and then I couldn't find  
my uniform and then I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go and had to  
look at the announcement again and then I..." Natsume Kawai blinked and  
looked around. "Where is everyone? Is the meeting over already?"  
  
Joudo smiled, unable to keep a straight face seeing her confused  
expression. "I don't know... I was here early, and haven't seen anyone  
yet. Are we in the right place?"  
  
"I think so- I checked the room number right before I got here..." she  
said, getting distressed. "I hope so... I don't want to get in trouble..."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Ishikawa said brashly, trying to make the cute girl  
sitting next to him calm down a bit. "If we DID make a mistake, then it  
was their fault for writing confusing directions- after all, we both  
arrived in the same place, right?"  
  
"I... I guess so," Natsume agreed, nodding her head in a way that made her  
curls bounce softly. "But it's our first day on the job, and things are  
already going wrong, and-"  
  
Before she could continue, the door swung open behind her and two  
bleary-eyed people came in.  
  
"Sorry we're late," a disheveled, sleepy-looking Asuma Shinohara said,  
sitting at the desk in front of the room and propping his feet up. Noa  
Izumi, her clothes slightly askew and her hair a mess, took a standing  
position to his right, a little behind him, and yawned hugely. "We thought  
your command car operator, Takeo Kumagami, would handle things here, but  
she had to run and get the dispatch reports from the Kanazawa unit that has  
been covering for us while we took care of business here."  
  
Joudo wondered why the two officers had slept in to begin with, when their  
duty was to be ready for anything, before glancing at how rumpled Noa's  
clothes were. Remembering how Asuma had risked his life for the girl the  
previous day, he smiled knowingly. Such a relationship as he suspected  
they were having would get them in serious trouble if the higher ups found  
out about it, and so he decided to no question them further. Looking at  
Natsume, he knew that she'd bought their story- and that she was very  
nervous being around them. It would be interesting working with this unit-  
so far, he'd met two veteran officers having an affair, and a  
cute-but-clueless girl apparently prone to hysterics, his captain (who he  
only knew so far from the tournament the previous day) who appeared to be  
bored with everything and took even the near death of the people under him   
in stride, and he'd seen at that same competition that another of his team   
members was a giant of a man with muscles reminiscent of... that American   
actor, Arnold Swartzenager. He almost laughed when he realized he very   
well could be the only 'normal' person in this unit.  
  
"No problem, sir," Ishikawa answered.  
  
Asuma waved him off. "No need to call me sir- my name is Asuma Shinohara,  
and this is Noa Izumi," he presented. "We're the backup and forward for  
labor one, an Ingram affectionately dubbed 'Alphonse' by Noa." He smiled  
slightly. "No-one here outranks anyone else- I can order Noa around  
because of her position, not because of her rank. Hiromi Yamazaki, who you  
will meet later, is also my subordinate but, again, has the same rank as I  
do. Noa, Hiromi, and I all have more experience than you, but we can't  
really give you orders unless we're assigned to give you orders because we  
don't outrank you. Well, right now I can, but that's just because I was  
asked to brief you and take you on a tour of the facilities."  
  
"Asuma..." Noa began, slightly whining, "Why did you wake me up for this?"  
  
"I figured you'd want to be the one who wanted to show them the differences  
between the controls of a training labor and the controls of an Ingram,  
since labors 2 and 3 are down for maintenance."  
  
"Oh... of course I'd want to do that." Noa looked at him oddly. 'That  
was... well, an attempt to be thoughtful, I suppose. He could have just  
woken me when they were about to go through Alphonse, though,' she thought  
as she stretched in an attempt to work the sleep out of her muscles.  
  
"Anyway," Shinohara continued, slightly distracted, and pulled out a  
rumpled set of papers. He started to read out, "We go on standby duty in  
about two hours. Standby consists of wearing your uniform and staying on  
base, keeping yourself ready to fill in if the Active duty unit is away.   
You can even sleep here, if you like, provided you can be ready for duty in  
less than five minutes. Then you go on Active duty, which consists of  
answering calls and, when there are no calls, tending the grounds of the  
SV2 Headquarters. Until the formation of the third unit, we were always on  
active or on standby duty unless we had a vacation day, during which time  
we were covered by Unit One. Now, we will have such full-day  
Active\Standby duty only when a unit goes on vacation." He looked up.   
"Basically, since it takes about two hours get anywhere interesting round  
trip, you'll probably want to live on base most of the time. That you have  
any time off without a special day being allocated for it is an  
improvement, however, so you have nothing to complain about."  
  
"What about meal breaks?" Natsume asked.  
  
"Well," Asuma considered, "Being in the second unit, our time off is  
between midnight and eight in the morning. Few restaurants are open that  
late at night, so I'd strongly suggest you help the mechanics out with the  
daily meals. If you help them cook and catch fish, and sometimes help  
Hiromi out when he asks you to look after the tomato vines and hens, you  
can share in the common daily meals. There is one restaurant that delivers  
lunch, a chinese restaurant called Shanghai Noodles, for the occasional  
change of pace. That's about it."  
  
"Anything else we should know before the tour?" Joudo asked.  
  
Shinohara shrugged. "Not that I can think of. Anything in particular on  
you mind?"  
  
"Why were we transfered while our pay still comes from the training budget?  
Wouldn't it make more sense to transfer us January 1, so that we start out  
on the SV2's budget?"  
  
Shinohara nodded. "I think I can answer that. Essentially, if you aren't  
able to cope with life in the SV2 after one day, we can send you back to  
training without it showing up on your record that you were unfit for labor  
duty."  
  
"Has that ever happened?" Joudo wondered.  
  
"Once, and it hasn't prevented the person from returning to the SV2 after  
reconsidering. Yuhki Watanabe, from Unit One, went back to training after  
he first got here, and was replaced by Ohta, who recently went on to help  
form Unit Three. When we formed Unit Two, Ohta was moved here and Yuhki  
returned to the SV2." He paused. "Any other questions? No? Then let's  
get on with the tour. Noa!"  
  
Noa, who'd almost been asleep, snapped awake at his voice. "Huh, yeah?"  
  
"Come on, we're touring the Ingrams first." His expression and tone became  
a LITTLE more compassionate. "Then you can catch another hour's nap, if  
you want."  
  
*****  
  
Captain Gomioka stared at his watch. Several people hadn't arrived yet,  
and it was already ten minutes after the meeting was supposed to start.   
Thankfully, his Unit was SUPPOSED to be off duty for the shift following  
the two hour orientation period. Well, all the late arrivals had just lost  
those eight hours.  
  
He sighed, and looked at the people who WERE around. There was Ohta, the  
man he remembered as so obsessed with guns during his stint with Unit One  
that he blew more assignments that could have been successfully completed  
than the rest of all five of the Patlabor units combined. There was Akito  
Kenichi, his old command car operator. Akito kept shooting nervous looks  
at Ohta, and sitting as far away from the pilot as possible. Akito was  
reliable, but most of his work was usually handled by Shinobu, and he  
seemed scared of the pilot he was supposed to backup. Perhaps he might  
want to be exchanged back into Unit One for Toru Sasaki, Yuhki's old  
command car operator. Or maybe, if that failed, he could get Takeo  
Kumagami from Unit Two, who probably knew how to manage Ohta better than  
most. And besides, she'd be a good person to leave in charge of the unit  
when he needed to be elsewhere.  
  
The only rookie who had made it was Yamane Seiroku, who seemed to be trying  
to keep outwardly calm, but was betrayed by occasionally shifting nervously  
in his seat. Any nervousness his face might have shown, however, was lost  
to all watchers because his battered nose seemed to catch the most  
attention. Gomioka sighed- he couldn't read people like Shinobu could.   
How did he handle this situation?  
  
"Sorry I'm late," someone said, breaking into his thoughts. Gomioka  
turned, and noticed that it was the other transfer from Unit Two- Shinshi  
Mikiyasu. "Captain Gotoh stopped me on the way, and asked me to give you  
this note."  
  
Gomioka restrained himself from asking why it took ten... no, FIFTEEN  
minutes to be asked to take a note somewhere, but sighed and accepted the  
piece of paper.  
  
"Sakaki just let me know that had to steal a couple of your rookies away  
from you for a short while. The maintenance squad's transport broke down  
while returning home from delivering the remaining training labors to the  
Academy in Fuji, and so Sakaki sent them out in one of the 97's (which he  
said were best equipped for the task) to retrieve it. On the plus side,  
this means at least one of the 97's will have a shakedown run after being  
removed from mothballs.  
  
-Gotoh, Captain"  
  
Gomioka restrained himself AGAIN from crumpling up the sheet of paper and  
storming over to Gotoh's office and giving him a piece of his mind. It  
wouldn't do for his unit to see him as quarreling with the others.  
  
"Do you know what all of this is about, Mr. Shinshi?"  
  
"Um... not really, sir. Just a few details- two of the rookies were  
borrowed by the maintenance squad for about an hour. I had to wait while  
Gotoh, Shinobu, and Chief Sakaki discussed things."  
  
Gomioka blinked- Gotoh, he wasn't surprised about- he was a competent if  
lackadaisical unit leader, but he also brownosed his way to better service  
with the maintenance squad. He would have thought Shinobu would have  
defended him, however. "Did you overhear anything they were saying?"  
  
Shinshi thought for a second. "I remember hearing something from Sakaki  
about getting the rookies used to there machines as early as possible, and  
some sound of agreement from both captains. Outside of that... sorry."  
  
Gomioka sighed. "Alright. I'll postpone this meeting until 0800 hrs, but  
everyone will lose two hours of off-duty time because of this. That is  
all."  
  
A bit surprised, Shinshi, Ohta, and Akito all left the room, but Seiroku  
approached his captain cautiously.  
  
"Can I talk to you, sir?" he asked, nervously.  
  
Gomioka looked at the rookie curiously. This day hadn't started out very  
well, and he feared doing something which would cause him even more  
problems, but looking at Yamane he knew that he should listen to him.   
After all, this was the first time one of his subordinates approached him  
for help.  
  
"All right, what is it?"  
  
"Sir, why was I put into the command car, and Koichi Miyagi put into the  
cockpit of the labor? I thought I had a real good chance of making it,  
after my first round match..."  
  
Gomioka thumbed through some papers on his desk to kill time while he tried  
to remember how it had been decided. Something about a defective labor  
part... Ah, that was it. "The first round match wasn't considered in the  
final decision because of some technical problems in the other labor. It  
wasn't considered serious enough to disqualify you, or to change the  
results or anything, but it was considered enough for us to make the policy  
of only looking at the second round fights."  
  
Seiroku trembled. "Is there any way to challenge that decision?"  
  
Gomioka shook his head. "Sorry, it was final."  
  
"B-but..." Yamane hesitated. "I vowed to my parents I would become a labor  
pilot for the SV2 or I'd never return home... I was so hoping..."  
  
The captain looked at Yamane's worried face, and frowned. That was  
certainly a foolhardy oath to take, but it almost certainly had given him a  
drive to succeed. And he HAD been impressed with the rookies first  
match... he very well might have been a better pilot than... Koichi, was  
it? He'd never remember that boy's name- he just seemed to fade into the  
background as soon as he won his match...  
  
"I cannot reverse the decisions that have already been made. However...  
every Patlabor unit is assigned three labors, but is only assigned pilots  
for two of them. Occasionally, we will need all three in action, however-  
Unit two has had to utilize their third labor a number of times, I  
understand. I can make you Labor 3's pilot, unofficially, and if you prove  
yourself and we have an opening..."  
  
Seiroku's face lit up. "You'll give me a chance? Oh, thank you, sir!   
Thank you!" He rushed out of the room and in the direction of the phone.  
  
Gomioka smiled slightly. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad today, after all.  
  
*****  
  
*Beep beep beep beep*  
  
Kanuka was startled into full wakefulness as the alarm clock blared. 'Huh?  
I didn't set any alarms... what time is it? SIX THIRTY? Who set-'  
  
"Ah, Kanuka," her grandmother said as she silenced the clock. "Why are you  
here?"  
  
"Grandmother, what are you doing setting an alarm for this early in the  
morning?!"  
  
"Why," her grandmother smiled. "Getting myself up in time to fix  
breakfast."  
  
"You should be resting-"  
  
"I've been getting up this early for the past fifty years! I think I can  
handle it... especially since I got to bed so early this morning." Her  
grandmother slowly stood up and stretched.  
  
"Grandma," Kanuka said, a note of warning in her voice. "I found the  
medical report."  
  
"Oh, you did?" her grandmother answered, flinching slightly but covering it  
up by turning towards her dresser. "Well, I was hoping I'd be able to talk  
to you about it before you saw that report- in fact, I was hoping you'd  
have gone back to New York, first."  
  
"What?!" Kanuka exclaimed. "Why?"  
  
"Oh, I know you- now you're not going to return to your home and your job."  
Silence reigned for almost a full minute. Kanuka couldn't deny it- that  
was just what she was planning on doing. Her grandmother, seeing how  
speechless she was, embraced her and continued, "You ARE a professional,  
remember? I don't want you losing your job taking care of a dying woman.   
And there's nothing you can do, either- except maybe speed my death by  
trying to pamper me too much. Let me live my last months without feeling  
the guilt that I would if you were to lose you job caring for me. I'll be  
fine."  
  
"Grandma, I..." Kanuka couldn't continue. She loved her grandmother so  
much, and here she was saying to forget about her in her time of need. She  
couldn't do that. "I can get an assignment in Japan again... a temporary  
one, which won't even affect my possible promotion. One which will leave  
me some free time... if for no other reason than to visit."  
  
"Kanuka..." Her grandmother looked into her granddaughters eyes, and  
sighed. It was impossible to tell her no when she was that determined.   
"ONLY if you are CERTAIN it won't effect your career, I... would allow you  
to visit me while on your new job."  
  
Withdrawing from her grandmother's embrace, Kanuka nodded. "Thank you,  
grandma. I'm afraid I'll need to skip breakfast- I need to try and find a  
job."  
  
With that, she rushed out of the door, unintentionally slamming it behind  
her.  
  
Her grandmother sighed. "I knew hiding that file wouldn't work... I just  
wish I had been able to convince you to go back home. Now, I can only hope  
you find your job, because I'm pretty sure if you don't you'll just quit  
the police to be with me, and that would hurt me more than you could  
possibly imagine..."  
  
--------------------------  
Next Episode: The maintenance crew discovers Natsume Kawai, Yuhki gets  
nervous, Kanuka asks for a job, and the SV2 waits for Y2K.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm 


	4. Episode 04: Birth of a New Millenium, Pa...

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 04: Birth of a New Millennium, Part 1  
  
December 30, 1999  
  
Kanuka walked through the door and up to Gotoh's desk. "Captain, can I  
talk to you?" she asked.  
  
Gotoh blinked. Kanuka didn't usually barge into his office and ask him to  
talk without knocking first. In fact, he was somewhat surprised she was in  
the building- by his watch, her plane was leaving in a few hours, and she  
barely had time to get on it. "Well... Unit Two doesn't go on active duty  
for another couple of hours, and things have been quiet so I doubt we'll be  
needed for other reasons, so yeah, sure."  
  
"Sir, my grandmother is... ill. I want to ask you for a job in your unit  
for a while, so I can stay in Japan and take care of her."  
  
Gotoh thought about it for a moment. "Hmm.... Ill, you say? Ill in what  
way? How long do you need to stay here?"  
  
Kanuka was silent for a moment before sighing. "She's... dying. She's got  
a year, maybe a little longer, but she isn't expected to recover..."  
  
Gotoh's eyes widened. "What is her problem?"  
  
"Heart condition... and bronchitis, but that's treatable. She'll be able  
to live normally for a while- after she gets over the bronchitis, that is-  
but she's got a year a most. I... just want to be around her as long as I  
can."  
  
Gotoh looked at his one-time subordinate for a full minute before replying.  
"I can't give you a job in Unit 2, and I'm not sure there's a job  
available in any labor unit right now. The rookie class of 1999 was just  
sent to fill in all available slots. If anyone decides to return to the  
academy, there might be an opening, but it almost certainly wouldn't last  
for a full year. However..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you think you'll be able to deal with an assignment to the Academy?   
They're always looking for experienced labor pilots as instructors, and  
your time with us will make you an even better candidate. You wouldn't be  
able to get the position for another three months- the Academy doesn't  
re-open until the first Monday in April- but I might also be able to swing  
you an intermittent assignment with the street patrol until it does."  
  
"Street patrol?" Kanuka said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "You mean as  
a traffic cop?"  
  
Gotoh shrugged. He turned to look out the window at the gathering storm  
clouds approaching- it was supposed to snow sometime that day, but hadn't  
started yet. Looking outside, all Gotoh could do was think about how  
inadequate his offer was. "Essentially, but it's the best I can do on  
short notice."  
  
"I would never...." Kanuka's voice trailed off. No, she wouldn't ever  
have considered going to the traffic cops- she was a labor pilot, after  
all. That was all she was good at- and she was one of the best out there-  
and she would never have considered being a traffic cop even if it meant  
resigning... except, in this case, she didn't have much choice. If she  
didn't get SOME job here, she couldn't stay with her grandmother... "I  
guess I don't have much choice. Do you mind if I borrow your phone and  
call my captain in New York? I'm going to need to get his permission, and  
I might need you to talk to him as well..."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Go ahead, I'll back you up as much as I can." He paused.   
"I pretty sure all of the old gang will."  
  
Kanuka stopped for a moment. A small tear was forming in her eye, and she  
couldn't afford to let anyone see it or her reputation would be ruined, so  
she forced herself to stand still for a moment to recover.  
  
*****  
  
Shige was looking through the engine of the labor transport for Unit Two's  
Labor 2 when he heard it- a thumping sound followed by a distinctly female  
yelp of pain. Quickly dropping everything (including a toolbox that landed  
on his foot and forced him to hop around on the other for a few seconds  
while recovering from the pain) he made his way to the sound. There he  
found the cute labor officer which he and most of the rest of the  
maintenance crew had only seen at the tournament, and even then they'd  
barely gotten a glimpse at her.  
  
There she was, rubbing away the pain in her derriere. Shige's eyes  
widened- this cute little girl would be WORKING here? Every day? In the  
same building as HE was?! He was almost speechless.  
  
"Uh... are you okay, miss?" he finally got out.  
  
"Ow... yes, I think so. I fell trying to climb into the transport's cab-  
that step is too high..."  
  
Shige looked at the cab and noticed that it probably was, in fact, too high  
for the girl. Shinshi had never complained about it, true, but then again  
this girl was nearly a half foot shorter than he was. "Hmm... I think  
you're right. Tell you what- give me about a half hour to finish the  
tune-up I'm giving to the engine, and I'll mount a small step ladder for  
you."  
  
Her face brightened. "You will? Thanks!" she squealed, giving Shige a  
brief but powerful hug. With that, she dashed off in the direction of Unit  
Two's lounge.  
  
Shige didn't start moving again for another ten minutes.  
  
*****  
  
A couple of hours later, Shige strolled into the Maintenance Squad Lunch  
Room (really, just an empty storage area with tables set up) and sat down  
with a happy sigh, a smile on his face. He seemed to be just picking  
through his food, and those in the room who knew him well figured something  
weird was going on.  
  
"Hey, Shige, what's going on?" one of the junior mechanics asked him.  
  
"Oh... you know that new female labor officer?"  
  
"The cute one?" another of his friends asked.  
  
"Yeah... well, I offered to install a step ladder for her Labor Transport,  
and so she... she HUGGED me!"  
  
"Wow..." said a third mechanic.  
  
More questions about the incident followed, but there wasn't really much  
else that Shige could say. So, with that, the rumors started to circulate.  
  
*****  
  
"Did you hear? Shige got hugged and kissed by whatsername- Natsume, the  
new female labor officer!"  
  
"No way... Shige? Ah, man- that girl must be desperate!"  
  
"Well, she could just be very friendly- maybe she'd hug and kiss anyone!"  
  
"Maybe that would mean WE could get her to give US hugs and kisses!"  
  
The exuberant whispering continued until Chief Sakaki showed up, at which  
point things became dead silent. When Sakaki left, conversation picked up  
again... but was a bit more subdued.  
  
*****  
  
When night fell that day, so did the snow. Winter had finally arrived in  
Tokyo, and soon the ground was blanketed in a soft white carpet. Things  
were quiet for the SV2- most of the time, snow tended to pacify criminals,  
and the only problems were with traffic accidents. That made it a  
difficult night for some traffic cops, but not for labor units. The next  
morning, however, Kanuka was thankful her transfer didn't take effect until  
January 1st when she read the paper and saw exactly how many accidents  
there were.  
  
December 31, 1999  
  
Gomioka sat down in the captains office, and started writing. Absolutely  
nothing had happened during his active duty period, and he was just about  
to collapse in boredom. Funny, when he was a labor pilot, he at least had  
something to do most of the time- he'd ordered his own unit to do the  
dishes and clean the kitchen, then to trash out the cafeteria. Just busy  
work, yes- something he'd done a millions times and found boring himself-  
but at least something to do. The only work he had was to sit around at  
the phones and wait for a message to come in. Hopefully, he could get  
suggestions from Shinobu for things to do to kill the time, but not right  
now- she was out with Unit One supporting the rescue squad as it attempted  
to save a construction labor that had lost its traction and slipped off of  
the building it was working on, holding on to a girder to keep it (and the  
pilot) from falling to its demise. He made a mental note to ask her when  
she got back, though.  
  
Now, of course, he had to write a report SAYING nothing happened during his  
active duty shift- how in the world was he supposed to do that? He could  
always ask Captain Gotoh how he did it, but Gomioka wasn't exactly sure how  
useful he would be- Gotoh always struck him as being a bit shady- not  
corrupt, exactly, just not very by-the-book. Gomioka prided himself on  
being a model officer, and would NOT look to Gotoh as an example of how to  
do things, if he could avoid it.  
  
He was a little surprised when Kanuka Clancy came into the office- he  
thought she was back in New York already. She looked at Gotoh's desk  
before walking over to him. "Did Captain Gotoh leave a note for me?"  
  
"Um, no- or if he did, he didn't give it to me. What are you looking for?"  
  
Kanuka absently brushed a hair from her eyes. "My grandmother is very ill,  
and so I've asked for an assignment here until... until she gets better.   
I'm eventually being transferred to the Patlabor Academy, but until classes  
open there I need an intermittent assignment- probably as a... TRAFFIC  
COP," she said with obvious disdain. "Gotoh is supposed to have a listing  
of some openings for me today."  
  
Gomioka blinked. What kind of illness would last so long she'd need to be  
here until April, at the very earliest? It was none of his business,  
however, so he chose not to pry. Instead, he made a suggestion. "Don't  
take any assignments in either the Bokuto or the Nerima provinces."  
  
She blinked. "Why's that?"  
  
"Well, Bokuto has the reputation of having the WORST traffic violators in  
all of Tokyo. Real nutcases- very dangerous stuff. Also very boring- you  
almost never get anything BUT traffic violations. Nerima, on the other  
hand... well, a lot of cops call it a 'grey area.' So many weird things  
are rumored to have happened there- monsters, epic battles of martial  
artist which cause millions of yen in property damage, and..." he blushed  
slightly, "Panty thefts. However, that precincts cops are specifically  
ordered NOT to arrest those involved- some have political connections, some  
have too much money and are able to BUY the connections, and some are  
considered to be undetainable- mostly the martial artists. But, like I  
said, you can't arrest any of them, so most people assigned to that  
district get frustrated at not being able to do ANYTHING." He sighed. "If  
those two are your only choice, choose Bokuto- at least there you have  
something to do. I know right now I'm suffering from near terminal  
boredom."  
  
"Ah- slow day?" He nodded in response to Kanuka's question, to which she  
smiled slightly and continued, "Well, I'd suggest you try doing what Gotoh  
does to pass the time, but you're married."  
  
Gomioka frowned. What did being married have to do with anything Gotoh  
could do on the job? "What is that?"  
  
Turning to walk out the door, Kanuka looked back at him, the same little  
smile on her face. "Hit on Captain Nagumo... and get rejected every time"  
  
Gomioka sighed, turning back to his report. Yep, he would definitely avoid  
asking Captain Gotoh for advice any time soon.  
  
*****  
  
Chief Sakaki waited at the terminal for a while. Finally, Shige showed up.  
"Ah, Shige- you're here. Good. There's something I've been wanting to  
ask you..."  
  
Shige sighed when he noticed the computer was on. Ever since the Chief  
decided to start learning computers, he'd come up with questions commonly  
associated with those 'Funny Computer Support Line Questions' he'd found so  
many copies of on the internet. Things like people using their CD players  
as cup holders, and people thinking something was seriously wrong with  
their computer when it was just unplugged. Fortunately, Sakaki had done  
nothing like that yet, but he'd come close- Shinohara had mentioned  
something about reformatting some storage disks before each use, and he'd  
personally seen him mess up the computer's configuration files about a  
dozen times. This was not going to be fun.  
  
"Yes, Chief? What is it?"  
  
Sakaki pointed to the computer screen. "I was... how do you kids put it?   
'Surfing the Web,' and I found this site. It mentioned something about the  
'Y2K Bug' effecting almost anything with a computer in it. What is this  
bug, and how does it effect our labors? Should we be making preparations  
for tonight?"  
  
Shige looked at the screen- the web page Sakaki was looking at was a couple  
of years old- though probably accurate for the time. "Don't worry about  
our labors- their computer systems were built after this person put up this  
information. The worst that can happen to them is to find that data from  
outside sources, like satellite uplinks, a little unreliable. Nothing to  
worry about."  
  
Sakaki nodded and turned back to the computer. "Okay, thank you, Shige."  
  
Shige turned away, not wanting to see the chief typing in URLs instead  
using his bookmarks- why did he make them if he didn't use them, anyway?  
  
*****  
  
It was about ten minutes till midnight when Shinobu walked in to get ready  
for standby duty. Gotoh's unit was on active duty, and Gomioka's was  
preparing to go on active duty. It was the first time all three captains  
had been in the office at the same time that day.  
  
"I haven't seen you since I went on active duty this morning," she said to  
Gomioka, smiling. "How was your first full day as captain?"  
  
"Actually," he admitted, "It was quite boring. What do you usually do on  
those quiet days when nothing is happening? I was able to give my labor  
officers some busy work, but I didn't really have anything to do myself  
except sit around and wait for a call which never came."  
  
Shinobu laughed. "Well, usually I just sit around and chat with Captain  
Gotoh, or read a book, or do the crossword puzzles in the paper... There  
really isn't much that can be done as far as work is concerned, unless you  
wanted to 'supervise' your subordinates in their busy-work, if you're not  
on a case. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you're near  
the phone and you don't let you hobbies interfere with your professional  
work. I understand Captain Mamoru Oshii scribbles down notes for this  
manga he's been working on. I could give you some more suggestions, but I  
think it would be better if you were to just come up with something to do  
on your own."  
  
Gomioka blinked. When he'd heard from Kanuka that Captain Gotoh spent his  
time flirting with Captain Nagumo, he'd assumed that not only was it  
something that was very unprofessional, but it was something unwelcome as  
well. He certainly couldn't imagine someone as serious about her job as  
Shinobu encouraging such a thing on the job, but as she just said,  
their 'chats' were just a way of getting rid of the boredom. He also was  
astounded to learn that she did things like read books and fill in  
crossword puzzles on the job. Well, he had much to learn.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a banging from the door. Without waiting  
for any of the three captains to give their permission, the door opened and  
Shinohara strolled in, carrying a television. "Hey, Captain Gotoh! I have  
the TV set you wanted to watch the New Years celebrations on!" he bellowed.  
"I split Unit Two's dorm room's cable from the antenna upstairs so that  
you could get a clear channel, since we have the best reception, I think."   
Noa followed him with the cable line.  
  
Gotoh smiled. "Ah, good, you got it. Set it down on my desk, facing the  
door, would you? That way, there'll be more room for Captains Nagumo,  
Gomioka, and myself to sit around it."  
  
Asuma and Noa, working together, hooked up the television in under a  
minute. Shinohara turned the TV on and set the channel to the appropriate  
station. Assured it was working properly, he turned to the captain.  
  
"Everything's set up now, sir. I hope you enjoy the- ack!"  
  
"Come on, Asuma- we have to get back to the dorm room before midnight! I  
don't want to miss this!" Noa said, dragging him by the back of the shirt  
and inadvertently choking him as she scrambled out the door.  
  
Gotoh chuckled at the departing chuckle. Gomioka smiled at the humor of  
the situation, as well, but wasn't entirely sure that the relationship of  
the two labor officers was appropriate for people in their position. That   
everyone kept it a secret for them disturbed him even more.  
  
In fact, he was a little uncomfortable with keeping secret the  
fact that Noa had smuggled in a few bottles of her family store's champagne  
to help her, Asuma, and the rest of Unit Two celebrate the New Years  
with.... However, even he had to admit that Noa and Shinohara were largely  
responsible for Captain Gotoh's unit being as effective as it had been- of  
course, now that Ohta was one of the labor pilots in HIS squad instead of  
Gotoh's, it should be easier for Unit Two to gain much of the  
respectability that Unit One had. Gomioka sighed- Ohta would be trouble  
when they were called in to assignments. Things were going to be pretty  
rough for the new Unit Three.  
  
"Hey, come on," Gotoh was saying, breaking in on Gomioka's thoughts.   
"Aren't you going to join Shinobu and me around the television? It isn't  
every day you see the birth of a new millenium."  
  
"Uh, what? Oh, yeah, of course! Thanks for arranging this," Gomioka said  
politely, and joined him and Captain Nagumo on the three chairs in front of  
the television. Shinobu sat between the two of them- something both men  
were happy about. Gotoh, because it meant he was sitting next to her, and  
Gomioka, because it meant he DIDN'T have to sit next to the man who'd  
foisted Ohta Isao on him.  
  
"...commonly felt that the new millenium will bring with it many advances  
in society," Momoko Sakurayama, the reporter for SNN, was saying, standing  
in front of a fenced off zone with a small labor about twenty feet behind  
her. A light snow had covered the ground, and her hair had been frosted  
lightly. "Including the development of faster and stronger labors- such as  
the one that will be sending out the signal of the new year in Japan two  
minutes from now. We have with us Mr. Jitsuyama, a plant manager for  
Shinohara Heavy Industries, who will explain how this prototype labor  
will-"  
  
Suddenly, the picture disappeared and all that was heard was interference  
as the signal disappeared. "What happened to the picture?" Shinobu asked,  
concerned. She wanted to see this just as much as Gotoh did, and it was  
actually her suggestion that he bring the TV into the office. Of course,  
she didn't think he'd actually take her up on it, but since he did, he  
wanted to see the turning of the millenium.  
  
"Hmm, I don't know," Gotoh frowned, examining the back of the television  
where the cable was plugged in. "Maybe it's the antenna."  
  
"How about another station? Maybe they're having technical problems..."  
  
Gotoh half-smiled. "Well, I hate to turn it off of someone who actually  
gives us good press on occasion, but I guess we don't have much choice."   
He flipped the station to where a male reporter was televising from some  
party, with a clock showing a little under a minute until midnight. "There  
we go."  
  
"I wonder what happened at SNN?" Gomioka pondered.  
  
"I dunno- but let's not worry about it until after midnight, okay?" Shinobu  
asked, smiling.  
  
Niether Gomioka nor Gotoh could say anything in response to that plea, and  
settled down to watch the television. Everyone kept quiet until the  
countdown began, and then they echoed it with their own voices.  
  
"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two...  
one... HAPPY NEW YEARS!" They all cried. Gotoh puckered up in the hopes  
that he could entice a New Years kiss out of Shinobu, and approached.  
  
*****  
  
Noa looked at Asuma as she popped the cork on the cheap champagne,  
celebrating the New Year. If he was her boyfriend, then he'd probably try  
to get a midnight kiss or something. He looked back at her, with something  
like regret on his face. Was he interested? Was he scared of her  
rejecting him? Just in case, she leaned in, hoping to show her interest.   
Shinohara's eyes widened when he noticed.  
  
*****  
  
All over the SV2 Headquarters, seconds before two kisses might have  
happened, power went out.  
  
*****  
  
Gotoh fell on his face in the dark, missing Shinobu completely.  
  
Nagumo herself was walking over to the phone. "I'm going outside to see if  
anyone's trying to start up the backup generator."  
  
Gotoh picked himself up off the floor and searched his desk with his hands.  
"I'll come with you," he said, turning on a flashlight he picked up.  
  
Shinobu nodded, and the two went outside to see the generator. There, they  
found three members of the maintenance squad, led by Shige, trying to get  
the dusty old gasoline generator started up. Shinobu was about to suggest  
they return to the office and report the power outage when she noticed  
Gotoh staring across the bay.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Tokyo is powered by multiple power plants, right?" he replied.  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Even if a whole plant went down, Tokyo should have power from the  
generators in the other plants. So why are the only working lights in  
buildings which have their own independant generators?"  
  
Shinobu looked across the bay as he pointed, and noticed that, except for  
at a hospital, there wasn't one building she could see which had any lights  
on at all. Tokyo was in blackout.  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: The SV2 helps to stop several riots caused by the blackout.   
Yuhki shows he still gets nervous. A plane crashes into Tokyo. And a  
number of other things that were supposed to happen in THIS episode.  
(and please remember, this was written BEFORE the Y2K scare went bust)  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm 


	5. Episode 05: Birth of a New Millenium, Pa...

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 05: Birth of a New Millennium, Part 2  
  
In this episode, {...} means speech in Russian  
  
January 1, 2000  
  
At an airport in Vladivostok, the passing of midnight went without  
incident. Shortly after the arrival of the new millennium, a turboprop  
aircraft belonging to Aeroflot Airlines left, bound for Manilla in the  
Philippines. The one hundred thirty four passengers and crew settled  
themselves in for a VERY long flight- their first stop- in Seoul, Korea-  
wasn't for another twelve hours. They'd heard that a number of large  
cities had been hit by the computer bug known as the 'Y2K Crisis,' but  
midnight had come and gone, and the airports were still intact- even in  
Tokyo, the hardest hit major city, the Airport had restored service in less  
than a minute, and was experiencing no problems- it was even still  
accepting incoming flights (though they weren't sending out any additional  
flights). The autopilot was set after reaching ten thousand feet, and the  
pilot leaned back. His only job for the next nine hours was to keep an eye  
on the autopilot and make sure it didn't malfunction.  
  
Sighing, the cabin crew of Aeroflot flight 201 sat back in their seats. It  
was going to be a LOOONNG flight.  
  
*****  
  
The three captains, Sakaki, and all the residents of SV2 Headquarters all  
assembled in the labor hangers. "Okay," Shinobu began. "This is what we  
know so far. The phone works, and we were able to get in touch with the  
power company. Apparently, a serious computer problem- which they thought  
they had taken care of but hadn't had time to test before this crisis  
occurred- has crashed everything... including the backups... for the central  
administrative office, which crashed all the computers at each individual  
facility. They are manually restarting the plants, but so far they've only   
gotten a few stations working- Tokyo won't have enough power to run even in   
brownout conditions for another forty-eight hours. It'll be weeks before   
they've restored every plant."  
  
Gomioka stepped up. "That, believe it or not, is the good news- things  
will be fixed before too long. However, the blackout has led to a severe  
panic in the public. Riots are breaking out in the streets- mostly just  
unarmed citizens, but there are too many of them for the regular police to  
handle. They've asked us to go in and help with crowd control- and there's  
also the possibility that the rioters may gain control of heavy vehicles  
like labors, which would also be our jurisdiction. We were asked to go in  
with tear gas guns, however, so the only anti-labor weapons we will have  
will be our electromagnetic batons. We want ALL functioning labors in the  
city- that includes the third labors of Units One and Three. Sakaki tells  
me that Unit Two's third labor was cannibalized for spare parts, so it is  
excused. The other two units will be needing manpower- and fortunately  
we've got an extra labor pilot on base. However, assemble with your  
captains for assignment- some of you will not be performing your usual  
function."  
  
The three captains ran off, and were followed by their units. Gotoh went  
into his squad room, and was followed by Unit Two's people. "Okay, we're  
the only unit which is going to have just two labors in the action. We're  
also the first unit to get duty- Shinohara, your labor's got the patrol  
around the Imperial Palace. Kumagami, your labor's to deal with the bridge  
into the reclaimed land. Any questions?"  
  
As usual, about everyone's hand went up.  
  
Similar assignments were given out to the other units- Unit One, with  
Kanuka Clancy piloting the third labor, Shige from the maintenance squad  
driving the transport, and Shinobu taking the command car, managed to  
outfit all three of its labors with full crews, and quickly placed  
themselves into position.  
  
The Third Unit, however, was in much worse shape, personnel-wise. Gomioka  
almost took the third labor for himself, but looked at his assembled squad  
and remembered his promise to the hopeful-looking Yamane Seiroku.   
Remembering his promise to make Yamane the de-facto pilot of the third  
labor, Gomioka took the position of command car operator for all three  
labors. Akito was asked to drive the transport, and off they went. Their  
was only one command car, so all three labors had to go to the same area-  
for that reason, they were assigned to the area with the largest number of  
rioters.  
  
Just before getting into the cab of the third labor's transport, Seiroku  
showed up in front of Captain Gomioka. "Sir, thank you sir!" he gushed.   
"I promise not to let you down!"  
  
Gomioka nodded. "Just don't disappoint me."  
  
With that, the Third Unit went on its first assignment- riot control around  
the newly-completed tallest building in Tokyo, the Tower City project,  
Tower 1. The building which rose almost six thousand feet into the air.  
  
*****  
  
Most of the rioters retreated at the sight of the three hulking Type 97's  
that showed up around the Tower City project. Those few that remained ran  
off when Ohta started shooting most of his tear gas cartridges into the  
crowd, their eyes burning. Peace was restored for the moment.  
  
It did not last long, however, as one of the retreating rioters got it into  
his head to hot-wire a nearby construction labor that was supposed to be  
used to begin construction on Tower 2 in a few days, and turn it against  
the cops. Soon, that man's friends started to do the same to a couple of  
other labors in the same lot, and soon five construction labors charged in  
against the three Patlabors, an army of rioters behind them.  
  
"Oh, god," was all Gomioka could say before Ohta started firing at them.   
The tear gas did nothing to the labors, which continued charging.  
  
"Stupid gas guns!" Ohta snarled, tossing the device he cursed at the  
labors- and actually taking the knees out from one of them. "If we had  
REAL guns, they'd show more respect for the law!" Pulling out his baton,  
he charged in, followed by the other two patlabors (which lobbed gas  
cartridges over the rioting labors and into the crowd behind them), and  
engaged them hand to hand.  
  
Unfortunately for Ohta, he'd completely forgotten how stiff and  
unresponsive the Type 97s were compared to his old Ingram, and soon found  
himself on the ground and at the mercy of the construction labors.  
  
Or he would have been if Seiroku hadn't used his labor to pick up one of  
the construction labors and toss it into the two others standing over the  
fallen Ohta. Kenji Iguchi engaged the final labor, and managed to get it  
into a standoff while Yamane helped Ohta up. Finally, all three labors  
were up and ready, and surrounded the final labor. Without any support,  
the last of the rioters surrendered.  
  
*****  
  
A beloved Ingram stood sentry duty at the Imperial palace. The labor crew  
had heard of a number of riots in other areas, and some looting in the  
Ginza (which was supposed to be covered by Kanuka's labor), but so far   
there was nothing happening in the area patrolled by the labor known as   
Alphonse.  
  
"Say, Noa," Shinohara began softly into his radio link, after having spent  
a lot of time in thought. There were several questions he wanted to ask  
her, but he wasn't sure if it was the appropriate time. Without anything  
else to keep him busy, however, and not being able to concentrate on  
anything but those questions, he couldn't ignore them. He just had to have  
an answer.  
  
"Yes, Asuma?" Noa replied, wondering why he wasn't using his normal voice.  
  
"About the party..." he said, trailing off because he wasn't sure he knew  
how to go on.  
  
Suddenly, she realized what he was trying to ask her. Still, she would  
wait for him to finish before she answered. "Yes, Asuma?"  
  
"Were you... I mean did you try... I... oh, never mind. It wasn't  
important," he said, unable to get it out. 'Chicken! I can't even ask her  
if she was trying to kiss me or not!' he thought to himself spitefully.   
'But it's probably for the better that I not know, anyway.... I mean, if  
she WAS, then...'  
  
"Um... okay," Noa replied, confused. 'Wasn't he going to ask me if I liked  
him?' she wondered.  
  
*****  
  
"Requesting permission to fire the gas gun!" Kanuka screamed into the  
radio. Nearly fifty looters were still on the streets, stealing clothes,  
televisions, anything they could get their hands on.  
  
"Permission denied," Shinobu answered. "If you get tear gas on those  
products, then they won't be recoverable. Save that option for the last  
resort- try to cow them into submission first."  
  
"Affirmative," Kanuka replied. She stormed into the middle of the melee,  
and turned on her loudspeakers. "Attention- this is the police. Drop the  
stolen goods and return home. If you fail to comply, you will be  
arrested."  
  
Some people did as Kanuka ordered, but several remained and continued  
looting. With as much precision as possible, the Type 0 Labor began  
picking people up with one hand and trapping them in the crook of its arm.   
By the time the regular police had arrived, she had nearly a dozen people  
so entrapped, and soon they were carted off to holding cells.  
  
"Situation normal," Kanuka reported. "Anything I should be aware of?"  
  
"Hmm... Riot police have stabilized most areas already. Unit Three may  
require some help, however... I understand that their labors were somewhat  
damaged- though still functional, they might have trouble if some more  
labors show up. Why don't we head to assist them?"  
  
"Affirmative."  
  
*****  
  
By eight-fifty in the morning, the riots were over. A hard snow was  
starting to fall throughout the area. Partial power had been restored to  
some of the city, and the police were out in force. Unit Two, which had  
been up for twenty-four hours, was sent home and given an extra shift off,  
and things seemed to have finally calmed down.  
  
That was when it started to hit midnight, Greenwich time.  
  
*****  
  
"Um, sir," an air traffic controller said to his boss. "We seem to have a  
serious problem. Suddenly most of the transponder codes disappeared from  
the radar- I have no idea what caused it, but now we don't know which plane  
is which."  
  
"Odd," his chief said. "Well, get on the radio- ask all planes in the area  
to send you their flight information and position- try to keep track of  
them that way. And get them in here as soon as you can. Hopefully, we can  
cut down on the confusion that way."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Good. While you do that, I'll find out from the runway crews if that snow  
will force us to shut down the runway."  
  
*****  
  
"{Dmitri!}" the pilot of Aeroflot flight 201 yelled at his navigator.   
"{Why didn't you tell me we were off course?!}"  
  
Dmitri blinked, looking at the old navigation console. The device was  
obsolescent, but he maintained it fairly well and it never failed him. Oh,  
sure, the new Global Positioning Systems were nice, but they required  
connections to various new satellites which his system had no access to,  
and it would cost too much money to replace the old system. It should  
still be good until the old satellites died, after all.  
  
"{Sorry, sir- didn't notice it.}"  
  
The pilot nodded. "{That's okay- it was a malfunction of the autopilot,  
apparently. Just keep an eye on that navigation system- visibility is  
almost zero in this snowstorm.}"  
  
"{Yes, sir,}" Dmitri answered.  
  
About two and a half hours later, they went down to five thousand feet and  
started looking for the Seoul airport's radio signal.  
  
*****  
  
"Sir, I'm detecting another plane coming into the radar," the air traffic  
controller said. "Coming in from the Northeast. IFF Transponder not  
responding."  
  
The chief sighed. "Very well. Let them know we've closed the airport-  
direct them to Nagasaki."  
  
*****  
  
"Attention, unidentified flight," the radio crackled. "This is Tokyo  
International Airport. All airstrips in Tokyo are shut down due to snow-  
please head to Nagasaki, instead. Repeat, unidentified flight- the Tokyo  
International Airport is CLOSED. Divert to Nagasaki."  
  
"{Heh... sounds like this snow storm is huge, to be effecting Tokyo as  
well. Any luck contacting Seoul?}" the pilot asked, looking intently at  
the altimeter to make sure they weren't going in too low. They were still  
at five thousand feet.  
  
Dmitri shook his head. "{Nope... doesn't appear we're on their radar  
yet.}"  
  
"{Odd, they should have picked us up by now.}"  
  
"{Hmm... I wonder if- hey, what's that ahead of us?}"  
  
*****  
  
"Hey, Madoka," a man said to his new wife as they stood at the observation  
window on top of Tower 1 of the Tower City project. "How do you like the  
view?"  
  
"Lovely, Kyosuke. This has been a great second honeymoon, despite the   
blackout," his wife said. She leaned in for a kiss.  
  
They broke off the kiss a moment later, and turned to look out the window.  
  
"Kyosuke, is that a PLANE heading for the window?"  
  
Kyosuke looked out the window. "Oh, my god! Hold on!" he cried, grabbing  
on to his wife.  
  
Aeroflot Flight 201 crashed through the window moments later. Somehow- the  
method of which some might think could only be magic- the young couple had  
escaped seconds before it hit.  
  
*****  
  
"What was that?" Ohta asked, looking up. He wasn't in his labor at the  
moment- he and Shinshi were in the process of replacing the battery. Just  
as they had finished securing the pack, a loud explosion came from above.  
  
"Oh, my god! An airplane crashed into the tower! It's spinning out of  
control!" Shinshi cried. Ohta glanced in the direction Shinshi was  
pointing, and saw a passenger plane spiraling downwards, its nose and one  
wing crumpled beyond recognition.  
  
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Shinobu cried. Ohta looked up directly above him, and  
saw a piece of a wing descending upon him. Shortly before it would have  
splattered him, Shinshi drove him under the cover that the trailer allowed.  
Burning wreckage collapsed around them.  
  
"That was close," Ohta gasped. "Thanks."  
  
Shinshi nodded, breathing heavily. "Yeah... no problem."  
  
They stepped out from behind the trailer as soon as they were certain that  
the debris had finished falling, just in time to see Kanuka's Type Zero and  
Seiroku's Type 97 running off towards the crash site.  
  
Ohta turned to get into his labor and join them, when he saw the damage  
that was inflicted by the falling debris. He growled.  
  
"Bah... looks like I'm out of the action for a while." His Type 97 was  
buried, and Kenji Iguchi's labor had already moved to dig it out.  
  
*****  
  
The two labors tag teamed to rip open the wreckage and search for  
survivors. The 97 was working effeciently, but from time to time it would  
slow or a limb would tremble. As they sorted through the grisly remains,  
Kanuka checked up on the rookie.  
  
"How are you doing, so far?" she asked over the radio.  
  
"Uh... well, ma'am, I think I'm able to handle it. I've never seen a dead  
body before, though, and this...."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I've never known a labor unit to be called in to a  
situation like this before, and most of the situations where they ARE  
called in rarely have any casualties- a labor can take a hell of a  
pounding, and the pilot will still be safe. If you perform properly in  
your rescue missions it's unlikely you'll ever encounter a body without a  
labor fight first. Just keep your head for this situation, and I'd be  
surprised if you needed to deal with another death for the rest of the  
year."  
  
"But what about now, ma'am?"  
  
"Just realize that there was nothing you could do to save these people, and  
keep working.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Seiroku replied. "Thank you, ma'am."  
  
As they continued to work, Kanuka noticed a definite improvement in the  
work of the young rookie, and smiled. 'So, I'm going to be teaching at the  
Academy in a few months, eh? Well, maybe I can use this experience to help  
me prepare for it...'  
  
*****  
  
About a half hour into their clean up, shortly after the REAL rescue teams  
got the message and arrived, a moaning was heard.  
  
"{Dmitri... Dmitri, what's going on?}" the dazed voice said.  
  
"We've got a live one!" came the enthusiastic shout of one of the rescue  
workers. "He's buried here- in the COCKPIT area!"  
  
Using the two labors, they dug the injured but alive pilot from the cockpit  
assembly, and he was rushed to the hospital.  
  
*****  
  
January 2, 2000  
  
"...and so it turns out," Shinshi was saying, reading the paper in Unit 3's  
work room, "That the airplane crash was caused by an obsolescent computer-  
the same bug that led to the blackout that covered this city last night."  
  
"The rescue," Seiroku read aloud from a different paragraph in the same  
article. "Was accomplished with the aid of two members of the much  
maligned SV2 Section 2, which also assisted successfully in crowd control  
during the riot."  
  
"Finally," Ohta bellowed. "We get a little respect! Who's the reporter  
who wrote the article?"  
  
Seiroku checked the top of the column. "Special correspondant Momoko  
Sakurayama, based on interviews with Captains Nagumo, Gomioka, and Fujimoto  
of the riot squad."  
  
Shinshi sighed. "Of course- she ALWAYS supports us. You think one of  
these days we could find ANOTHER reporter willing to tell our side of  
things?"  
  
Gomioka sighed, staring at Ohta. While he had done fairly well for this  
assignment, he knew that much of the SV2's bad reputation was caused by  
him. "I doubt it- not for a long time," he said, thinking 'As long as Ohta  
was still a labor pilot, we never will find one.' He sighed. 'Maybe I'll  
be able to get rid of him one of these days. Just maybe...'  
  
--------------------------  
Episode 05 Closing Notes: Just to let you all know what was going on here,  
this was essentially a 'worst case scenario' for the Y2K bug- many utilities  
were expecting to be able to get themselves Y2K compliant before the new  
millennium, but they weren't sure they'd have time to do all the testing  
they'd need. Airports should not have been effected- at worst, they'd have   
to go to backups for power to the radars, etc, but airplane IFF Transcievers   
might have been effected. Also, most modern Satellite Navigation systems (such  
as modern Global Positioning Systems) could not be effected, but older,  
obsolescent ones (like the ones used by many Aeroflot aircraft) that were  
dependant on accurate dates could be, and such aircraft are likely to become  
lost. I just came up with this idea, one day, when one of my teachers gave a   
lecture on the horrors of Y2K. In fact, it was the first of the ideas I'd  
started writing down that started Patlabor: Personal files, back in Jan. '99.  
  
Next Episode: Follow Gomioka on a typical day in his life as Captain of  
the Third Unit.  
  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
---  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee  
desaix@sysnet.net  
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872  
fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm 


	6. Episode 06: The Life of Gomioka

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 06: The Life of Gomioka  
  
January 5, 2000  
  
The alarm went off at Gomioka's bedside when the clock read 2100 military  
time. Yawning, he reached over and slammed down on it, turning it off.   
Too tired to remember why he'd set it, he rolled over and went back to  
sleep.  
  
He felt a stinging sensation as his wife slapped him awake- hard. "Time to  
get up and go back to work, dear," she said icily.  
  
Gomioka blinked and sat up, staring at the back of his retreating wife as  
she headed for the kitchen. 'Why'd she hit me so hard? Oh, yeah... she's  
still mad about me inviting Clancy to the ceremony. When is she going to  
realize I just think of that American woman as a friend?' His wife had  
long suspected him of having an affair with Kanuka, but that was  
preposterous. The only think between them was professional respect.  
  
Sighing, he got out of bed and started to get dressed in his uniform. Each  
unit from the SV2 had been given an extra shift off (the standby shift, in  
most cases, though Unit Two had been given an extra active shift off as  
well, for working through their off-duty shift- they had the 7th scheduled  
off, and the third unit was supposed to cover one of their shifts on  
standby) for the work done during the Millennium Crisis, and he had time to  
sleep at home the previous night. Now he was starting to wonder if it had  
been worth it to go home. He and his wife hadn't been on the best of terms  
for a while now- though she did still support him publicly, at least.   
Still, she had a jealous streak a mile wide, and the temper to back it up.  
  
He moved into the dining room as he finished tying his tie, and sat down  
for the meal. His wife served him and then sat down across from him.  
  
"So, dear," she began with strained politeness- which was at least better  
than the icy attitude she had displayed waking him up that evening. "How  
is work going?"  
  
"Oh, fine, Kinuko," Gomioka said to his wife absently, glancing at the  
headlines on the evening edition of the paper and munching on the shrimp  
tempura his wife had made for him. It was a little soggy, but he didn't  
care- it was better than the usual food he had at the SV2's cafeteria.  
  
"Hmm... so, are you having any problems adjusting to being a captain?"  
Kinuko asked.  
  
Gomioka shrugged. "Well, I have a lot more duties that are a lot less  
interesting. I almost wish I hadn't accepted the promotion, but we do need  
the money."  
  
Kinuko frowned. "Is Kanuka still working with you guys?"  
  
Gomioka caught the warning in her voice, and smiled slightly. This would  
make her happy. "No, she's been temporarily placed in the street patrol,   
prior to a job at the Academy in Fuji. She's staying in Japan for a while   
to take care of her grandmother, who's very ill."  
  
"Oh, how sad," she said with false sympathy. "But why didn't she get a job  
with your new unit?"  
  
"There weren't any openings, so she didn't have a choice."  
  
"Oh, well. So, when do you have to leave for work?" she asked, much more  
cheerily.  
  
Gomioka looked at his watch. "Well, I have to be at work at midnight, and  
it'll take me an hour and a half to get there, so I've got about an hour if  
you want to do something," he said hopefully.  
  
"Ah, well... do you want to watch television with me?"  
  
Gomioka deflated slightly. "Sure, what's on?" As they settled down in  
front of the television, he began to wonder about the woman he married.   
When they'd first met, she was a passionate person who would spend any  
moment they had together doing something romantic and exciting. Now, the  
most romantic and exciting thing they ever did together was watch  
television together, and that was only if she was pleased with him. If  
they ever slept in the same bed again, or kissed, or even held each other  
in front of the television, it might be worth all of the temper, all of the  
jealousy, and all of the suspicion she had... but without even the  
slightest hint that she still cared about him and not just about his money  
and position, he didn't feel as if the marriage was working out. Oh, well-  
at least she'd forgiven him for the moment.  
  
He sat back and watched the twenty year old shogun drama that his wife  
wanted to watch. He didn't have long before he had to be back on the job,  
so he might as well relax while he could.  
  
*****  
  
January 6, 2000  
  
"Captain Gomioka, Third Unit, reporting for duty!"  
  
Gotoh smiled as he stood up from his desk, and returned the salute. "Have  
fun," he said, stepping out of the office.  
  
Gomioka almost snarled at him. The third unit was guaranteed the graveyard  
shift every night- which was also the most boring shift around. So far,  
the only time they'd been called out was that huge incident caused by the  
turning of the millennium. And, with Captain Nagumo off of standby duty,  
he didn't even have anyone to talk to. Sighing, he settled into his seat,  
and pulled out the classic illustrated novel he had brought with him- a  
historic book he should have read years beforehand.  
  
After ten minutes, he gave up on his reading. For some reason, the Tale of  
Genji didn't really appeal to him. Oddly, it made him worry more about his  
relationship with Kinuko- stories of adulterous wives and men who slept  
with many women didn't help him to forget his marital difficulties.  
  
Sighing, he stood up and started pacing around the room. He glanced at the  
TV set that had been left in the room following the events on New Years,  
but decided against watching it. Apparently, the only stations they could  
get were SNN and NHK, and by now he'd be lucky to get anything other than  
weather or sports.  
  
A knock on the door preceded the entrance of Ohta Isao. "Captain Gomioka,  
sir!" he bellowed.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Our rookies are bored, sir. I was wondering if I could entertain them  
with some firearms drill, sir?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Gomioka considered it for a moment. "It is awfully late at night," he  
answered. "And Unit Two is sleeping in the dorms- it wouldn't exactly be  
polite to wake them up."  
  
"We could use the silencer, sir!"  
  
Gomioka almost laughed. A labor gun with a silencer was only a little  
quieter than a low-caliber handgun. Still, he had been rather bored, and  
it had only been ten minutes since the second unit's shift had ended, so  
probably no-one was asleep yet.... "Very well- if you can arrange a  
demonstration that will be over within the next half hour- and that I can  
see from this window- I'll allow it. But after that half hour, not ONE  
MORE SHOT, got it!?"  
  
"YES, SIR!" Ohta cried enthusiastically. "Thank you, sir!" With that, he  
turned, and almost ran out the door.  
  
Gomioka sighed. He really didn't want to feed Ohta's obsession, but it WAS  
something to do...  
  
*****  
  
It was two o'clock in the morning, and Gomioka was struggling to stay  
awake. Ohta's target practice was certainly interesting- as good a shot as  
he was, the man could be an excellent cop if he could just control himself  
in situations where firearms weren't required. However, many had tried and  
failed to do just that, so it didn't seem too probable he ever would learn  
control.  
  
Asuma Shinohara, surprisingly without the company of his girlfriend and  
partner, Noa Izumi, showed up in the middle of the practice to complain  
about the noise. Gomioka apologized profusely- not that he was surprised  
that someone had shown up for him to need to apologize to. He felt a  
little guilty for KNOWINGLY keeping people awake when they were as tired as  
Shinohara looked, but he honestly thought no-one would have been asleep by  
that point.  
  
It had been over an hour since then, and the excitement that Ohta's  
firearms drill had brought was long gone. There was nothing to do except  
sit at the phone- he was caught up with his paperwork for the next month  
and a half, it was too early in the fiscal year to worry about the budget,  
he STILL couldn't bring himself to read any more of the Tale of Genji, and  
not even the weather reports were over by that point. Both SNN and NHK  
were off the air.  
  
He sighed. All he needed was something to break the monotony....  
  
The phone started ringing. Gomioka almost laughed- just when he asked for  
it. Answering the call, he said, "Special Vehicles, Second Section.   
Captain Gomioka speaking."  
  
"Hello, sir," a dispatch officer replied. "We've got a call that could  
require a labor. Could you send one to the Kurokawa shopping center in  
Akasaka? We have a standoff apparently involving members of the Beach  
House terrorist organization."  
  
"Beach House?" Gomioka repeated. He'd heard of that organization, but  
usually it was Gotoh's unit who dealt with them. He considered sending  
Ohta, who had faced off against them before, but that thought lasted about  
a half a second before he shook it off. After all, it was just a standoff-  
Ohta was bad at standoffs, from what he'd heard. In fact, he was bad at  
pretty much everything but shoot-outs. That meant sending the rookie team,  
but there might not be any labor action after all, and besides, he'd go  
with them. Normally, he'd go in with both labors, but one had to stay  
behind in case another call came in. He COULD wake Shinobu up and ask her  
to handle duties on standby, but this didn't sound that important. "I'll  
be there shortly. Officer Ohta will remain behind to take calls."  
  
"Ohta?" the operator said, choking on the name. "Very well- we'll only  
make another call in an absolute emergency."  
  
*****  
  
"Come out with your hands up! You cannot stand against the glorious force  
of the Japanese Police! Surrender! You do not stand a chance! If you  
give yourselves up peacefully, we will show mercy. Otherwise..." the  
sergeant in charge droned on into the megaphone.  
  
Gomioka sighed, relaxing into the seat of his car. This was almost as  
boring as sitting around the office doing nothing, but it was also giving  
him a headache from the noise. Briefly, he wished he'd brought Ohta with  
him- it would probably have caused serious problems, but at least it would  
have lead to something to do. Besides, it would have given him an excuse  
to drum the trigger-happy labor pilot out of his unit.  
  
Suddenly, a burst of static over his radio alerted him to an incoming  
message. "Calling Captain Gomioka, this is dispatch."  
  
"Dispatch, Gomioka here," he replied to the radio.  
  
"We got a call in here for another incident- one where we know labors are  
required. There is a drunk labor pilot on the rampage, and officer Ohta  
went to investigate. He tried to page you, but apparently they are still  
down from the Millennium Crisis."  
  
"Will respond- where is the location of the call?"  
  
"Babylon Project Experimental Facility Gamma. Beware- there are a number  
of explosive chemicals on the site."  
  
'Oh, god- and Ohta's on the way?' Gomioka thought, panicked.  
  
*****  
  
Gomioka and the second labor team were about three blocks away from the  
site when a giant explosion rocked the docks upon which the facility was  
built.  
  
"What the hell is going on!" someone cried over the radio.  
  
"Hurry! Raise Iguchi's labor- prepare for search and rescue!" Gomioka  
shouted into his microphone. "I think that was Ohta... and if it was, then  
he's in serious trouble. Seiroku- take your command car and drive around  
to the other side of the wrecked building and see if there are any  
survivors on that side!"  
  
"Yes sir," he cried, and his little command car sped off to circle around  
the burning structure. The Type 97 that Kenji Iguchi was piloting rose on  
its trailer and stepped out towards the building, when another explosion  
sounded, sending shockwaves that knocked the labor to the ground and drove  
Gomioka's car backwards.  
  
"This is Gomioka calling dispatch," Unit Three's captain said into his  
radio. "Send fire and rescue immediately. There is the possibility of  
officers down." He bowed his head down. "We cannot handle it ourselves."  
  
*****  
  
About ten minutes later, Seiroku reported in over the radio. "I saw  
several unidentified men fleeing the scene, carrying some crates of  
equipment or something. I would have investigated further, but thought it  
more important to see if I could find any injured people around. Officer  
Shinshi is here, with his labor transport, but he was unconscious when I  
found him. He appears to be all right now, but the damage to the cab has  
put the trailer out of commission. In addition, the command car is here  
and serviceable, but Officer Akito Kenichi is injured badly- some of his  
internal monitors shattered and sent glass into his face. He seems to be  
mumbling something...."  
  
In the background, Gomioka could here the injured man chanting, "I knew he  
would get me killed one of these days... I knew he would get me killed one  
of these days... I knew he would get me killed one of these days...."  
  
"I read you. Ambulance and rescue crews are on the way. Keep searching-  
maybe Ohta's labor was able to protect him from the brunt of the blast."  
  
"Affirmitive, sir," Seiroku replied.  
  
Gomioka threw down the transmiter in disgust. "One week as captain, and  
already one possible death and one serious injury among my subordinates.   
This job just keeps getting worse and worse!"  
  
"Captain," Yoshi Tobe, the second labor's transport driver, said over the  
radio. "The rescue team is here. Shall I tell them to begin searching for  
officer Ohta?"  
  
Gomioka picked up the radio transmitter again, calming down a little.   
"Affirmative. Inform them we have an injured officer located on the other  
side of the building, still sitting in his command car, I think. Also,  
warn them that there is the possibility of additional explosions."  
  
"Understood," Tobe acknowledged, and soon the firefighting labors worked  
their way into the burning building and began to put out the fire.  
  
"Calling Captain Gomioka, this is dispatch," the radio crackled again.  
  
The Captain sighed. "Here."  
  
"I have a Captain Nagumo on the line, asking if you require assistance."  
  
"Nagumo?" Gomioka blinked. 'What is she doing up?' he wondered. Her unit  
wasn't supposed to be on duty for another two hours.  
  
"She said Officer Ohta informed her of the situation, and she ordered her  
unit on standby."  
  
Gomioka considered bringing her in for a little bit, but sighed. What  
could she do at that point? "Inform her that we have at least one officer  
down, and that one labor is effectively out of commission. I don't believe  
we are able to respond to any more calls tonight, so if she could remain on  
standby for the rest of the night, I would be very thankful."  
  
"Affirmative," dispatch said, and the radio crackled into silence.  
  
It returned to life a few seconds later when fire and rescue called in.   
"Captain, this is Labor FR-1. We have found the remains of what looks to  
be a Type 97 police labor. The cockpit looks intact, but I am unwilling to  
inspect further until I can retrieve it from the building. It is very hot  
in here, and if I were to open that cockpit we might roast the person  
inside alive."  
  
"It would serve him right," Gomioka muttered.  
  
"Say again?" Labor FR-1's pilot requested.  
  
"Uh... never mind. Just do whatever you can."  
  
*****  
  
About an hour later, Captain Gomioka was out of his car and riding in the  
ambulance with a recovering Ohta, who had just started to tell his story as  
it pulled out. Officer Seiroku was placed in charge as Unit Three's  
uninjured men waited for the arrival of the equipment which would take away  
the wrecked vehicles.  
  
Ohta had been lucky in that the cockpit had shielded him from the blast,  
but power had been knocked out (which was not surprising, considering the  
only surviving part of the labor was the cockpit).  
  
"Well, sir, I waited for ten minutes for backup before following the  
apparent DWI inside the main warehouse. There, I discovered that he was  
not actually drunk- just faking it in order to cover the theft of a large  
amount of equipment that had been loaded into the truck."  
  
Gomioka blinked and nodded. "Interesting. Officer Seiroku thought he saw  
some people carrying some equipment away, himself, but was too concerned  
with the welfare of yourself and your labor crew to pursue them."  
  
Ohta gingerly grinned. "He should have gone after them- it's not wise to  
let criminals escape, especially possible cop-killers." His smile dropped  
painfully as a nurse applied some salve to one of his burns. "Anyway, I  
ordered the perpetrators to surrender, when they ran away, taking the truck  
with them. During there escape, I recognized one of their members as  
belonging to Beach House." That drew a startled gasp out of Gomioka, but  
Ohta continued. "Thier construction labor faced off with me. I drew my  
gun and attempted to fire, only to find my labor was not armed.   
Apparently, someone forgot to reload the gun following my session of target  
practice."  
  
Gomioka nodded- that little bit of amnesia on the maintenance squad's part  
was his suggestion, in order to keep him from shooting someone if they were  
called in to support a search and rescue operation- which was about the  
only thing Gomioka thought his unit would be doing during those winter  
months, when criminal activity was down. He was SUPPOSED to be nearby in  
case there came a situation where Ohta needed his gun, and the maintenance  
squad was SUPPOSED to have reloaded it if Ohta was going into a potentially  
dangerous situation alone. Apparently, niether one of those safeguards  
worked.  
  
"I will speak with the person responsible," he said, but wasn't too  
concerned. The lack of a firearm probably postponed the explosion for a  
short time- perhaps enough time for the rest of Unit Three to arrive and  
perform the initial stages of search and rescue. All it meant was that  
Ohta probably wasn't the cause of the explosion.  
  
"I WANT WHOEVER IT WAS DRAWN AND QUARTERED!" Ohta nearly shouted, then  
winced at the pain doing so caused. Continuing in a much softer voice, he  
said, "Finding my gun inoperable, I dropped it and drew out my  
electromagnetic baton. I succeeded in disabling the other labor with a  
strike to the power center, but the electricity that soared through the  
baton doing so fried my labor's control system. The pilot of that labor  
leapt out and tossed a grenade. I was unable to do more than close the  
hatch, and seconds later it blew."  
  
"A grenade caused the blast, you say? Hmm... I wonder if the person who  
used it realized this place was full of high explosives...."  
  
Before Gomioka could pursue that line of thinking, the ambulance arrived at  
the hospital and Ohta was wheeled out.  
  
*****  
  
The wall clock read 7:45 a.m. by the time Gomioka had returned to SV2  
headquarters. Sighing, he sat down in his chair, waved to Shinobu, and  
started writing his report on the incident.  
  
"Welcome back," she said, approaching him. "Rough night?" Concern was  
etched in her voice.  
  
"I can't remember a worse one in my whole career," was his reply. "I've  
been captain for a WEEK, and two men are seriously injured, one labor is  
completely destroyed, one labor TRANSPORT, which are generally thought of  
as indestructable, is out of the action for at least three days...." He  
just sighed and shook his head.  
  
"And you had to call in search and rescue because you couldn't handle  
things yourself," she finished for him. "Wondering whether or not you  
deserve to wear that rank yet?"  
  
He snorted. "Of course I am. And my conclusion is just as obvious- I  
shouldn't be wearing it at all. I made several critical mistakes- for one  
thing, I split up my team. That goes against some regulations, and it  
CERTAINLY isn't a very bright thing to do. To make it worse, I went with  
the team which didn't need as much supervision if things got dangerous,  
simply because I was bored and didn't want to hang back when I could be  
doing something. Finally, when the situation became critical, I had to  
call in help because I couldn't deal with my own unit's problems."  
  
Shinobu nodded. "All true. And also all very easy mistakes to make- I  
made them myself when I was a rookie captain, and with just as disasterous  
results. In fact, my mistakes were so bad most of my original team  
transferred to different units. I was careless, and it nearly cost the  
lives of three men. But I think I turned out okay- I just needed  
experience."  
  
Gomioka looked at her in awe. "You goofed up this badly?"  
  
She nodded and smiled. "Worse. My goof-up came on live TV, in front of an  
international audience. Yours came in the dead of night with no-one around  
for miles." Her smile grew. "The trick is to learn from your mistakes,  
and not repeat them."  
  
"Thanks," was his all too meager reply.  
  
"Anytime," she said, and returned to her desk. Gomioka watched her go.  
  
Kinuko was always worried he was having an affair with Kanuka Clancy, but  
that was just ridiculous. He thought she was a very accomplished person,  
yes, but he didn't really find her attractive- and her personality left  
something to be desired. He liked fiery women, but not THAT fiery.  
  
No, it was foolish for his wife to worry about someone like that. Now, if  
she were to worry about someone like Shinobu Nagumo, on the other hand....  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: The Lost Episode. Will not be reposted. A New episode, which  
includes the important events from that part, is being considered, but as of  
yet no definite plans exist to replace it. If you would like to try and write  
such an episode, please contact me via e-mail. Thank you.  
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Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
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	7. Episode 07: (Temporarily Removed)

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Episode 07 has been removed at this point. It will be replaced at some  
future date, but at the moment there are no plans for when.  
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	8. Episode 08: A Father's Wisdom

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Author's Note: Episode 07 was abandoned (after nearly six months of  
struggling to make it work out). What exists of it will now be known as a  
'lost episode.' If someone wants to take it off my hands and rewrite or  
revise and complete the episode, let me know... after all, I am quite willing  
to allow guest authors to write certain episodes (as long as they aren't ones  
I particularly want to write). There were two major things that happened in   
Episode 07 that should be noted before reading this one- the first one is that   
Akito Kenichi resigned from Unit 3 to be replaced by Kanuka, who transferred   
from the street patrol after being, er, overwhelmed by the wackiness inherent   
in the precinct. The second major thing that happened is that, in response to   
some rather bitter taunting, Noa accidentally revealed that she's not a virgin   
(technically, she was responding to being called a 'maiden') to all of Unit 2.   
She and Asuma have yet to have a chance to talk about this....  
  
Episode 08: A Father's Wisdom  
  
January 7, 2000  
  
Noa was nervous- finally, an off day. One where she and Asuma could go out  
for drinks like they had talked about the previous week, and perhaps have a  
long and meaningful talk. For one thing, she was... concerned... about  
what he thought of her announcement the previous day. It isn't every day  
you blurt out to the whole world that you, a twenty-two year old Japanese  
girl, are not the innocent maiden everyone thinks you are.  
  
But also... also, if that went well, she wanted to break it to him- she  
wanted to move their relationship forward a bit. Maybe not enough so that  
their friendship would be lost if things didn't work out, but perhaps they  
could go on a few 'official' dates, and see if they COULD be more than  
friends.  
  
Now, all she had to do was find him and remind him of his promise to go out  
for drinks.  
  
*****  
  
Asuma looked through his closet, trying to pick out something to wear. His  
baseball cap, of course, was a must- he almost always wore it on off-duty.   
It used to be his late brother's, after all- one of only a very few relics  
he had been able to save. The only other one he'd taken with him to the  
SV2 was that scarf he gave to Noa when they went to visit the Grave a month  
before.  
  
The rest of his outfit, however, was difficult to choose. He didn't really  
know what he was doing today, so he had no clue whether he should wear some  
jeans he didn't mind messing up, a pair of semi-dress slacks he could wear  
into a decent restaurant, or something even more formal.  
  
Hiromi knocked and stepped into the locker room. "Asuma, there's a  
telephone call for you."  
  
Asuma blinked. "For me? Who would be calling me?"  
  
"I'm not sure- I didn't get a name. Should I go ask him?" Hiromi asked.  
  
Asuma shook his head. "No, don't bother. I'll go and ask him myself."   
With that, he straightened the uniform he hadn't gotten out of and followed  
Hiromi to the phone.  
  
When Asuma returned, his decision had been made for him. Reaching into the  
closet, he pulled out the most formal set on non-uniform clothing he had.  
  
*****  
  
Noa blinked when she saw Asuma walking down the stairs. 'Either he plans  
to take me somewhere much more expensive than I was planning on going to,  
or he forgot that we were going to go out today.' She paused. 'Or he  
doesn't WANT to go out with me any more after hearing that I'm not a  
virgin.'  
  
She approached him slowly. "Asuma?"  
  
He blinked, as if in a daze. "Eh, what?"  
  
"Weren't we going to go out today?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"We were? Oh, sorry... forgot," he said absently. "I'll take a raincheck,  
but there's something else I need to do right now. See ya later."  
  
With that, he slipped past her, out the door.  
  
Noa sniffed. 'He's avoiding me. He... he can't deal with me having  
had...'  
  
Unable to handle her own thoughts, she turned and ran off into the dorm  
rooms, tears in her eyes.  
  
*****  
  
Asuma unlocked the door to his car and was about to get in when another  
member of the female gender ran up to him enthusiastically.  
  
"Mr. Shinohara, sir!" Natsume Kawai called, running up to him.  
  
Asuma flinched at the use of his last name. "Yes?"  
  
"Mr. Shinohara, sir, can I get a ride with you into town? Just to any bus  
stop will do."  
  
"No, I'm not headed into town," he answered, a little harshly.  
  
Natsume blinked. "Please? Pretty please? Can't you just do me a little  
favor and take a little detour to get me to a bus stop? You're the only  
person with a car on base in all of Unit 2, and-"  
  
"Then borrow Noa's motorbike," he snapped. "I can't take you anywhere  
right now. Excuse me, I can't afford to be late." He stepped into the car  
and slammed shut the door.  
  
"But I don't know how to drive a motorbike!" she called out as he drove  
away.  
  
*****  
  
Hiromi gathered up the dirty clothes that had overflowed out of the hamper  
and stuffed them back in. Unlike most of the others of Unit 2, he didn't  
have any special plans for the off day other than to get some neglected  
chores done. That included doing everyone's laundry, a top to bottom  
cleaning of the locker rooms, and some other things that would otherwise  
never be done, despite the many hours of busy-work that the members of the  
SV2 were constantly assigned.  
  
"Oops- forgot the detergent," he said to no-one in particular. He sped off  
to the utility closet by the dorms. To his surprise, he heard some  
sniffling on his way back as he passed by one of the rooms. Pausing, he  
decided to investigate.  
  
Noa looked up in surprise when Hiromi walked in and quickly tried to wipe  
all evidence of the tears which had been pouring down her face. "Hiromi!"  
she said, her voice cracking.  
  
"Ms. Izumi?" the soft-spoken giant replied. "What's wrong? Why are you  
crying?"  
  
She sniffed. "Crying? I'm not crying."  
  
Hiromi frowned. "I might not say much, but I'm part of your labor team as  
well. I can tell something's wrong even though I don't know you as well as  
Asuma does..." He frowned when Noa jumped at Asuma's name. "Now what is  
the problem?"  
  
Noa didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, her tears started falling  
back down her cheeks. "Hiromi, A... Asuma is avoiding me. I blurted out  
to the whole world that I wasn't a virgin because some pompous jerk was  
getting under my skin, and now Asuma won't have anything to do with me...."  
With one last burst of energy, she gasped out, "I've lost him."  
  
Hiromi blinked. "How is it you know he's avoiding you?"  
  
"Well, we had plans for today, and he just ignored them and went out. Said  
he had something else to do, but wouldn't even tell me what... and he was  
in such a hurry- he HAD to have been avoiding me!"  
  
Hiromi looked perplexed. "Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with  
that call from his father he got a half hour ago?"  
  
"No, I'm not 'sure' about anything, but it sure looked like... wait, did  
you say his father called him?"  
  
Hiromi nodded. "Yes. They talked for about a half hour, and then Asuma  
went into the dressing room and put on his best suit and, of all things, a  
baseball cap." A slight twinkle developed in his eye. "I didn't let him  
know that I knew it was his father- I thought it best that way."  
  
Noa, however, wasn't listening- instead, she was thinking very hard. 'His  
father? He was very dressed up- more so even then when he visited his  
brother's grave. Maybe... maybe they're about to have some sort of  
meeting? In which case, it's not too surprising that he seemed kind of out  
of it when I saw him- he wasn't avoiding me, he was just stressed out over  
his father!'  
  
She gulped. "I hope," she said aloud.  
  
"What was that?" Hiromi asked.  
  
"Oh, never mind," Noa said, wiping away the last of the tears. "Thanks,  
Hiromi... you know a lot more than you let on, don't you?"  
  
Hiromi smiled. "Well, I just don't have occasion to say much, that's all."  
His expression then turned serious for a moment. "Don't worry- he won't  
let a little thing like a mistake in the past ruin your relationship-  
you're too important to him."  
  
Noa blushed. "Um, thank you." She paused. "Actually, I don't think a  
simple 'thank you' is enough right now. With Asuma gone for the day, all  
my plans are ruined. How about I help you out around here?"  
  
Hiromi just nodded, not saying anything.  
  
*****  
  
"I can't believe Asuma would turn down a cute girl like you," Shige was  
saying to Natsume Kawai. "Well, if he won't do it then I guess I'll have  
to. I'll see if I can take labor 3's command car and drive you down to the  
bus station in a minute. Let me go talk to Gotoh and I'll be right back."   
He started running off, one hand behind his head and smiling like a maniac.  
  
Noa and Hiromi, carrying four buckets filled near overflowing with dirty  
clothes (three by Hiromi, one by Noa), started to pass by Natsume as she  
stood, waiting. Seeing an opportunity, she ran up to Noa.  
  
"Ms. Izumi!" she called, running up to her. "Ms. Izumi, can I talk to you  
for a second?"  
  
Noa looked from Hiromi to Natsume and back again. She said she'd help him,  
but she didn't want to be rude and just ignore the girl who wanted to talk  
with him. Without another word, Hiromi took the basket from her, added it  
to the three he was already carrying, and nodded.  
  
"I'll handle it, Ms. Izumi," he said. "She seems to need you more than I  
do right now."  
  
"Thanks again, Hiromi," she said before turning her attention to Natsume.   
"Now, what can I help you with?"  
  
"Ms. Izumi, is there something wrong with Mr. Shinohara? All I did was ask  
him to give me a ride into town and he snapped at me! Then he drove off  
without any sort of explanation..."  
  
A couple of mechanics in the next room overheard this. "Asuma yelled at  
Natsume?" the first one asked as they snuck out of hearing range.  
  
"That Shinohara! He already treats Noa like dirt- and the only thing that  
makes it forgivable is that they're going out and she doesn't seem to mind  
it herself, but now he's starting in on Ms. Kawai too? That's no fair!"  
  
"Yeah!" the first mechanic said. "We should do something about it!"  
  
"But what could we do?" the second mechanic asked.  
  
"Hmm.... Come with me- I have an idea."  
  
Meanwhile, Noa was explaining things to Natsume.  
  
"...Yeah, it's been real trying for him," she was saying. "He and I once  
got into a REAL big argument about it. I kept demanding he try and  
reconcile with his father, and he wouldn't even hear about it. Well, that  
flared up and we wound up not speaking for several days."  
  
"Sounds bad," Natsume commented.  
  
"It was. We kind of made up without ever resolving it, though, when he  
saved my life in a labor battle." Noa sighed. "Maybe it's being resolved  
now... at any rate, he's under a lot of stress. It's not surprising he was  
a bit upset."  
  
Natsume smile. "Thanks, Ms. Izumi. I was afraid he was still mad at me  
for that mistake I made in the tournament."  
  
Just then, Shige returned wearing a jacket and carrying a set of keys.   
"Ready to go?" he asked.  
  
Natsume nodded. "Whenever you are."  
  
"Come on- let's get out of here before the chief finds out I'm leaving."  
  
As they left, Noa stood, pondering. A slight smile spread across her face.  
'If he was so upset he acted like that to Natsume, it's no surprise he  
would be a little... detached... when he was talking to me. It's just  
natural,' she thought. 'Maybe I still have a chance, after all.' Her face  
clenched in determination. 'No- no maybe about it. I DO still have a  
chance....' Then it softened again. 'I hope.'  
  
*****  
  
"Your son has arrived, Mr. Shinohara, sir," a servant said.  
  
Okami Shinohara, the owner and president of Shinohara Industries, tensed  
nervously. "Show him in, Tsukai."  
  
"Very good, sir," Tsukai replied, slipping out the door.  
  
A moment later, he returned, bringing Asuma with him. Asuma was wearing a  
very stylish formal western suit- black dress jacket, black pants, white  
shirt, and a tie. The only thing which seemed off about the whole affair  
was the battered old baseball cap he wore.  
  
Okami glanced at the hat, pain in his eyes. "Did you HAVE to wear... oh,  
never mind. Come on, it's well past my normal lunch time. Let's eat."  
  
Never one to pass up a good meal (even if it was offered by his father),  
Asuma nodded and followed him to the table, where a wide variety of foods  
had been placed. They served themselves civilly, and started eating in  
silence. After a few minutes, however, Asuma grew impatient with the quiet  
and resolved to do something about it.  
  
"So... why did you all-of-a-sudden decide that I was fit to be eating lunch  
with you again?" he began with hostility.  
  
Okami sighed. "Do we have to fight? After the graveyard incident, I was  
hoping that we could get together and maybe see if we couldn't resolve our  
differences." Staring up into his son's eyes, he continued, "I'd like to  
know why you hate me so much."  
  
"Hate you?" Asuma asked sardonically. "Why should I hate you? After all,  
all you did was drive my brother into insanity and eventual suicide with  
your constant demands for us to be better in school, more conformant to the  
general public, and just good little ambassadors for the company. All you  
did was toss me out when I failed to meet your expectations and force me  
into civil service. All you did was-"  
  
"Enough!" Okami cried. "I know I've made some mistakes, but everything I  
did I thought was in your best interest. Of course I wanted you and your  
brother to be better! Every parent wants their child to be better off than  
they were. I wanted you and your brother to be able to do what I didn't,  
and to not have to ruin your own lives to make something of yourselves."  
  
"And throwing me out?"  
  
"That was to teach you some responsibility. And it seems to have worked!   
From what I hear, you're part of the only good team in all of SV2- you  
alone maintain its respectability."  
  
Asuma sneered. "You expect me to be swayed with flattery? You think I'm  
going to fall down at your feet and tell you I'm sorry I ever doubted you,  
and what a horrible son I am for not seeing it all sooner? Hardly!"  
  
"Don't take that tone with me, young man! You should be more respectful  
of-" Okami paused mid-sentence and hung his head. "Must we fight every  
time we open our mouths? We seemed to be doing fine at the cemetery, and  
we were doing pretty good here until we started talking. You and I share  
the same blood coursing through our veins- is there no way we can find  
something to talk about which won't lead to us fighting with each other?"  
  
"I doubt it," Asuma said, glaring at his father.  
  
Okami opened and closed his mouth several times. "Well, fine then. Let's  
eat in silence- we're a family, and if not talking is what it takes to keep  
us together than we shouldn't talk to each other."  
  
Without another word, he went back to his food, picking at it with his  
chopsticks.  
  
Again, the silence grew unbearable. Finally, Asuma couldn't stand it  
anymore. "Dammit! I'm sorry, dad- there's probably something we can talk  
about without fighting. I just can't think of what."  
  
A thin smile broke out on Okami's face- perhaps there was a chance for  
them, after all. "Hmm... well, we could catch up on what's been happening  
in each other's lives. Who was that girl I saw you with? Is she your  
girlfriend or something?"  
  
Asuma blushed very faintly. "Her name is Noa Izumi. No, she's not my  
girlfriend. Not really... she's just my forward- my partner."  
  
"You're blushing," Okami noted.  
  
"Well... I sort of wish there was something more," Asuma admitted. "But it  
wouldn't work out- for one thing, it's against the rules for two people in  
the same unit to have an intimate relationship..."  
  
Okami snorted. "It's not like you've let the rules get in your way,  
before. I don't think you'd let that stand between you and this 'Noa'  
girl."  
  
Asuma bit his tongue to keep from snapping back angrily. Pausing a few  
seconds to calm down, he actually considered what his father said. It was  
more or less true- if that one rule was all that stood between him and a  
deeper relationship with Noa, he wouldn't let it stop him.  
  
"Well... there are a few other reasons I don't think it would work, as  
well."  
  
"What are they?" Okami asked.  
  
Asuma thought about that for a moment. What WERE his reasons for not  
starting a relationship with Noa? He certainly liked her enough, and she  
wasn't too bad looking- she did look kinda cute when she got angry. She  
was a bit of a ditz, but not so much of one that it made her annoying- it  
just enough to make her fun to bug...  
  
"Well?" his father prompted.  
  
"Uh... well..." He could mention that she wasn't a virgin, but that wasn't  
really a turn-off for him. At least she'd sort of know what she was doing  
if they ever got that far. What excuse could he give? "She seems more  
interested in her labor than she is in a relationship... all she does in  
our off-duty time is polish and clean it. She's even named it 'Alphonse.'"  
  
Okami frowned. "Surely she's not more concerned with labors than she is  
with people."  
  
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "She wouldn't be the first person I knew who felt  
that way."  
  
Okami grit his teeth. "Never mind- it seems as though we really CAN'T talk  
about anything without fighting."  
  
Asuma shrugged. "Actually, I've finished lunch already. Maybe I should go  
before we get into a bigger fight, huh?"  
  
Okami opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it. "Perhaps  
you'd better." Asuma got up and started to leave. "Wait, son!" Asuma  
stopped, not looking behind him. "Could we maybe... things weren't too bad  
today, were they? Maybe we could get together again at your birthday in  
March?"  
  
Asuma didn't say anything for a moment. "Maybe. I wasn't thinking about  
celebrating it at all, but maybe." With that, he left.  
  
"Tsukai," Okami called after giving Asuma enough time to leave.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Shinohara, sir?"  
  
"You heard and saw how Asuma was acting when he was talking about that Noa  
girl. What do you think?"  
  
"He appears quite infatuated with her, but seems afraid to build on their  
relationship into something greater, sir."  
  
Okami nodded. "Indeed- that is what I thought as well. Perhaps..."  
  
"Perhaps?"  
  
"Well, it would be rude of me not to provide the Izumi family with a dowry,  
wouldn't it? It may be some time before they'll need it however, so could  
you contact my lawyers? I'd like to talk to them about making a small  
change in my will..."  
  
*****  
  
Noa was waiting for him when he got back. "Welcome back, Asuma," she said  
nervously. "How... how did your meeting with your father go?"  
  
He blinked. "How did you know I was with my dad?"  
  
'Oops. Didn't mean to let him know Hiromi told me that,' Noa thought.   
"Er... it was the only place I could think that you would go on an off day  
dressed like that."  
  
"Ah... well, I guess it didn't go too bad for a meeting with my father. We  
left on a better note than we usually do...."  
  
"Well, that's good!" Noa exclaimed enthusiastically. "What did you talk  
about?"  
  
"Oh... this and that," Asuma replied, making it obvious he didn't want to  
discuss it.  
  
Noa took a deep breath. "Asuma, there are some things I wanted to talk to  
you about today that we weren't able to because of your meeting with your  
father."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Noa gestured to a chair. "Asuma... I want to know what you think about  
what I said last night."  
  
Asuma feigned ignorance. "Er... last night?"  
  
"You know... when I told everyone I wasn't some pristine maiden and all?"  
  
"Oh... that." Asuma had really hoped she wouldn't bring that up.  
  
"Yeah, that," Noa replied matter-of-factly. "Does knowing I'm not a  
virgin... change anything between us?"  
  
When Asuma thought about it, though, it really didn't matter. Still, he  
wanted to know some things. "Well, I don't think so. Was... it... with  
anyone I know?"  
  
"No!" Noa exclaimed. "It was years ago- I was sixteen at the time, and he  
was this dreamy eighteen year old boy named Ouki Hamaki. When he asked me  
out, it was a dream come true... until he... kind of... forced me into it."  
  
Asuma's eyes burned in anger. "He raped you?"  
  
Noa shook her head. "Not quite... but I really felt intimidated into it.   
Like if I hadn't said 'yes' he would have hurt me. I dumped him the next  
day... My dad was furious- he's wanted me to get married for a long time  
now- but when, a few months later, we found out that Ouki had joined the  
Yakuza... well, let's just say dad got over it."  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"I don't know," Noa said. "I didn't keep track of him after that."  
  
"Well," Asuma growled with determination, "If he ever meets up with me,  
he'll regret it."  
  
Noa couldn't help it- she giggled. He was so defensive of her... Perhaps  
he would be willing to... "There was something else I wanted to talk to  
you about..."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah..." Noa took a real deep breath. "Asuma, I want to..." Suddenly,  
she froze. Could she really ask this? What would she do if he said no?   
In fact, what would she do if he said YES?  
  
"Noa? You awake?" Asuma prompted, a smile on his face.  
  
"Uh, yeah! It's just that... god, this is difficult to ask."  
  
"That's okay," Asuma said, the smile still on his face in an encouraging  
manner. "Just ask it."  
  
"Right," Noa said. Taking another deep breath, she finally blurted it out.  
"Asuma, I want to change our relationship a bit..."  
  
Asuma's face was frozen in shock- still smiling, of course. "You... do?"  
  
Noa panicked a bit- he wasn't taking this well at all. "Not much! Just a  
little... I'd like to start thinking of the things we go out and do not as  
just 'hanging out,' but maybe... as... dating. You know...  
boyfriend-girlfriend sort of dating."  
  
Asuma was still in shock. "Ah... I see."  
  
Noa started freaking out. This wasn't good at all- he just stood there,  
his face unchanging. He wasn't even able to speak. "If you want to... and  
if it doesn't work out, we can always try and stay just friends..."  
  
After not moving for nearly a full minute, Asuma finally got over his  
shock. Laughing nervously, Asuma kept smiling. "Ya know, it's funny- you  
were asking about what dad and I were talking about. One of the things we  
discussed was why I wasn't dating you even if I wanted to..."  
  
This time, it was Noa's turn to freeze in shock. "Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. And you know what? There was exactly one reason I could think of."  
Asuma decided not to mention Alphonse- obviously, he was wrong about that  
one.  
  
After a few seconds pause of her own, Noa asked, "And that was?"  
  
"Well... it's against regulations for two people in the same division to  
have intimate relations."  
  
Noa's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Then that means-"  
  
"Relax!" Asuma soothed, putting his hands on her shoulders to help calm  
her. "Everyone in the SV2 thinks we're going out, anyway- as long as we're  
subtle about it- or should I say as long as we STAY subtle about it- no-one  
will say anything."  
  
Noa inched further into his arms. "Are you sure?"  
  
Asuma took another step in, and wrapped her up in a gently hug.   
"Positive."  
  
Watching them from the door (and providing an unasked for look-out) Hiromi  
smiled.  
  
*****  
  
"So, are we all agreed with the plan?"  
  
"Yes. Asuma Shinohara MUST be punished!"  
  
"Then it's settled. Operation Let's Get Vengeance for Natsume is on!"  
  
In the small storage room, the gathering of SV2 labor mechanics cheered.  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: The creature comforts of Asuma's command car are failing,  
and little disasters are going on everywhere around him. How many of the  
members of the maintenance squad will be thrown into the sea when Chief  
Sakaki finds out? And what will happen if one of the pranks goes too far?  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee  
desaix@sysnet.net  
fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm 


	9. Episode 09: The Curse of the Mechanics

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 09: The Curse of the Mechanics  
  
January 14, 2000  
  
Asuma stared up at the ceiling of his dorm room, his face twisted in  
frustration. For the past seven days, he'd tried to sleep on a wet bunk  
with water dripping on his face. Repeated calls to the maintenance squad  
had gone unanswered, he could not move the bed because it was bolted down,  
he discovered his bed was leaning in such a way to make it impossible for  
him to sleep with his head at the other end of the bed, and there were no  
more available dorm rooms. He'd tried stapling some plastic to the  
ceiling, but the night after he did that the plastic burst open and all the  
water that had dammed up splashed down and woke him up. In fact, he'd  
barely been able to get any rest over the whole week. Thankfully, there  
hadn't been any calls in that time, due in part to a heavy snowstorm on the  
Eighth that had shut down most of the construction projects from which most  
labor crimes were generated.  
  
*beep* *beep* *beep* his alarm sounded. Sighing, he reach over and slammed  
it off. Rolling out of the bunk, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Grumbling  
inarticulately, he flipped on the light switch. With a pop, one of the two  
fluorescent bulbs that had still been working burned out.  
  
"Dammit!" Asuma cried. "Is EVERYTHING falling apart around here?" He  
closed his eyes, counted to ten, and opened up his closet to pull out a  
uniform. At least those were undamaged.  
  
He quickly got dressed and left for the maintenance office.  
  
"Ah, Shige, you're here," Asuma said.  
  
Shige looked up from the papers on his desk. "Oh, boy. What is it this  
time? Another bulb burned out?"  
  
Asuma nodded. "And that leak over my bed STILL hasn't been fixed."  
  
Shige frowned as he handed him a set of maintenance request forms. "That's  
weird- I sent out the work order for it a week ago. If it hasn't been  
repaired by tonight, let me know and I'll come over and fix everything up  
personally. I might do it anyway- it sounds like something's wrong with  
the wiring in your room. It's rare that seven bulbs burn out in a week."  
  
"Thanks, Shige." Asuma filled out the forms and went on to the office.  
  
When he got there, only Noa was in the room. She smiled at him and said,  
"Good morning, Asuma."  
  
"Morning," he grunted back moodily.  
  
Noa frowned. That didn't sound good. "They STILL haven't fixed that leak  
over your bunk?"  
  
Asuma yawned, shaking his head. "No. And Captain Gotoh still hasn't found  
anywhere else for me to sleep. Shige promised me he'd fix it himself if it  
wasn't repaired by tonight, but my bed is going to need to be cleaned and  
dried before it'll be a comfortable place to sleep in again."  
  
Noa thought about it for a second. Looking down shyly, she suggested, "If  
you want, we could trade rooms for a while. You could get a good night's  
sleep in my room while I see if I can get anything done about your room."  
  
Asuma thought about it for a second. He was tempted, but he knew that  
would be a rather bad idea- labor pilots needed their sleep more than  
command car operators did. That wasn't why he hesitated, though.  
  
No, he was hesitating because just seven days before, their relationship  
had suddenly changed. With no warning that he could see, either. Now,  
instead of just being really good friends, they were something... more.   
How much more, however, was rather confusing. They were pretty much acting  
towards each other just as they had before, though there was both a  
nervousness and a giddiness they experienced whenever they were  
together. But that was it- they weren't doing any more or any less than  
they had before. They hadn't even kissed yet.  
  
Asuma, however, was thinking of suggesting something a bit more than  
kissing. At that moment, the idea of sharing a bed with Noa entered his  
head. Perhaps if he hadn't been so tired, he would have remembered that it  
was a very silly thing to think about- after all, they were trying to keep  
their relationship a secret, and it would be very hard to not be noticed as  
sleeping in the same room. Still, he thought about it.  
  
And immediately discarded that thought. It wasn't time yet- they'd just  
started 'officially' dating (though as he and Noa had talked about it the  
day after she'd confronted him with her desire to advance their  
relationship, they'd started to realize they'd been UNofficially dating for  
some time), and neither of them were going to be ready for that step for  
some time. Even just sharing a large hotel room alone would make her  
uncomfortable, considering her past. He remembered the time they'd had to  
share a room together on an assignment, and how paranoid she'd been. He  
briefly wondered if it was because of that Ouki Hamaki person she'd told  
him about.  
  
"No, I don't think that would be a good idea...." Glancing around to make  
sure no-one else was around, he wrapped his arms around her gently and gave  
her a very brief squeeze. "Thanks anyway."  
  
A clicking announced someone turning the doorknob, and suddenly Asuma was  
on the other side of the room, sitting at his desk and looking as if he'd  
been going over his morning paperwork for several minutes. Noa, in the  
meantime, stood frozen right where they'd been, and blushed lightly when  
she realized they'd almost been caught.  
  
Gotoh stepped in and looked around. Smirking slightly at Noa's expression,  
he turned to Asuma.  
  
"Shinohara! You've been bugging me for a week for some temporary quarters.  
You still want them?" he asked.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Asuma asked. "I haven't been able to get a good night's  
sleep in a long time! Of course I do...."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Good. I have an assignment you and Noa can volunteer for,  
if you want. It'll be rather boring, I expect, and I'd usually give this  
sort of thing to Takeo, since she's a Lieutenant, but then again we haven't  
been doing much around here for the past week anyway and you need somewhere  
new to sleep...."  
  
Asuma looked at his captain suspiciously. "And I assume that the temporary  
quarters go along with the assignment. What is it?"  
  
"Well, our mechanics have been invited to perform a demonstration of labor  
maintenance in Yokohama. We were thinking of sending a team of mechanics,  
a labor pilot, a command car operator, and Labor 3. I was thinking with  
your bunking problems, you might be willing to go..."  
  
Asuma thought about it for a second. Getting out of his room for a while  
would be... delightful. But should he answer for Noa, as well, in this  
case? After all, if their relationship was... more than it was before,  
should he be speaking for her all the time, like before? He needed to buy  
some time to think about this...  
  
"Is there some reason we're not using Alphonse for this?" he asked.  
  
"Well, Labor 3 is already in pieces- if we were to bring Alphonse along,  
the mechanics would have to disassemble him first."  
  
Asuma saw Noa flinch. "Well, okay. I agree taking Alphonse apart would be  
a bad idea. Um...." He looked around for inspiration. His eyes finally  
rested on Noa, who nodded at him. Did that mean she wouldn't mind going,  
or that she'd do whatever he wanted, or what? Well, he usually made the  
decisions for both of them- why would it be any different now? "How long  
would we be gone?"  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "The conference is three days long. You'd leave tonight.   
You'd stay through the conference, put the labor through some  
high-performance tests after the mechanics are done reassembling it, and  
come back the morning of the 18th. A basic milk-run."  
  
Asuma glanced once more at Noa to make sure he wasn't doing anything she  
didn't want done, and nodded. "Okay, one trip to Yokohama it is. But make  
sure Shige fixes that leak above my bunk, and for Noa... get someone to  
keep Alphonse nice and polished while we're gone." He looked at her.   
"Okay with you?"  
  
Noa did a quick doubletake. Asuma was asking if it was okay with her? She  
couldn't remember a time he'd ever actually asked her that before. In  
fact, she couldn't remember a time he'd ever let her make ANY decision  
before- not even what to eat. Perhaps he was being more considerate  
because they were now more than just friends, and perhaps THAT meant he was  
going to really try to take their relationship ser-  
  
"Why are you blushing, Izumi?" Gotoh asked.  
  
"Uh, um... no reason, sir. I don't usually like leaving Alphonse, but if  
someone makes sure to polish him every day, I won't mind."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Good. Head to Chief Sakaki's office- he'll give you  
details about where it is and who you need to take. Hiromi will also  
likely be coming along, but I still have to talk to him."  
  
"Yes, sir!" they both said, saluting, before nearly bolting out the door.  
  
Gotoh's face cracked into a sly smile after they left. "Oh, so THAT'S what  
they talked about..."  
  
*****  
  
Noa reached out and touched the small cloud of mist formed from her breath.  
"Cold here in the command car." Usually, she rode with Hiromi in the  
labor transport, but since there was no actual labor she might need to get  
into this time, she didn't need to be up in it and could choose whether to  
take the car or the truck. Obviously, she chose the car- Hiromi was nice  
and all, but she'd much rather spend her time with Asuma... at least until  
she saw if this relationship would work out. Right now, though, she was  
wondering if the company was worth it. "Does it usually take this long to  
heat up?"  
  
Asuma shook his head. "I think I've got some sort of curse or something.   
First, everything starts going wrong in my dorm room. Now, the heater is  
malfunctioning in my car. What next?"  
  
Noa hesitantly reached up and squeezed his shoulder. "Relax- everything  
will be fine by the time we get back. It's just a coincidence."  
  
Asuma spared a second to smile at her reassuringly. "I'm okay, but this is  
starting to get ridiculous. I just hope it isn't some sort of divine  
punishment for falling for you." Suddenly, he realized what he said. "Er,  
I didn't mean that."  
  
Noa tensed for a moment. It sort of made sense- all the incidents started  
after she'd told him she wanted a deeper relationship, and they'd both seen  
enough weird things to not believe that there may be some sort of divine  
being out there. Still, what was so wrong with their maybe feeling  
something for each other? Surely it couldn't be that... still, she felt it  
important to reassure him.  
  
"Didn't mean what?" she said. "That you fell for me? Or that this  
situation with your equipment failing is getting ridiculous?"  
  
He didn't say anything for a second. "No, I was saying that I didn't mean  
I was being punished by the gods for seeing you. But even if I was, I  
wouldn't let it stop me."  
  
"Asuma!" Noa gasped happily.  
  
He shifted uncomfortably. None of what he was saying felt natural. He  
meant it, but it didn't feel natural- it wasn't the sort of thing he would  
say. He might grow into it after a while, but he still didn't feel  
comfortable saying any of it. He wasn't one to show his deeper feelings  
through his words, but rather through his actions.  
  
Noa trembled slightly from the cold, and Asuma noticed. Once they reached  
a stoplight, he removed his jacket and, without word, handed it to her.  
  
"Take it," he said. "As tired as I am, it's probably better for me that  
it's cold, since I'm driving."  
  
Noa looked at him gratefully, and snugged the jacket on. Asuma smiled  
slightly.  
  
'Now THAT'S more my style,' he thought to himself.  
  
*****  
  
Shige flipped on the switch for the light in Asuma's room. The fluorescent  
light came on- and then immediately burned out.  
  
"Huh... looks like a really BAD electrical problem. Odd that it's centered  
on this one room, though.... I should probably go and turn off the fuse,  
and then grab a flashlight to check it out." Flipping off the switch, he  
turned and ran back to his room to get some electrical gloves.  
  
A fellow engineer intercepted him on the way.  
  
"Shige," he said. "Come quick! Officer Ohta was training in one of the  
Type 96, and it froze up on him. We've gotta get it started again so he  
can get the door open!"  
  
Shige sighed. "This can wait... at least Asuma's not gonna be needing that  
room for a couple of days." With that, he ran off to help Ohta.  
  
*****  
  
"Do you want rollaway beds or futons?" the hotel clerk asked. It was a  
Western-style hotel, and a rather elegant one at that. Most of the  
mechanics from the SV2 were impressed- it was the best hotel many of them  
had ever stayed in. As a matter of fact, it was the only hotel in the area  
that was equipped to handle a convention of the size of the one they were  
attending.  
  
Asuma blinked. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Well, you have three rooms for eleven people. We only have two beds in  
each room, so five of your party's people will need to sleep on either  
rollaways or futons."  
  
Asuma looked behind him to Noa, Hiromi, and the gathered mechanics. All of  
them shrugged. "Um, I guess we'll take futons."  
  
The hotel clerk nodded, and typed a few things into her computer. "Very  
good, sir. Here are your room keys- two for each room. Rooms 516 and 517  
are connected, and Room 526 is across the hall from them."  
  
Asuma took the six plastic cards that were shoved into his hand, and turned  
around.  
  
"Um... okay, I guess you guys will take the two connected rooms," he  
proposed to the mechanics, handing them four of the keys. "Noa, Hiromi and  
I will take room 526."  
  
"Uh, right," one of the mechanics said. "Good plan! Come on, guys, let's  
go find our rooms!" With that, they ran off towards the nearest elevator,  
leaving Asuma, Noa, and Hiromi in their dust.  
  
"They seemed to really like those rooming arrangements," Hiromi pondered,  
grabbing all of his bags and some of Noa's.  
  
Asuma thought about it for a second. "Probably need to use the bathroom  
badly," he suggested crassly. "So what are we supposed to do here while  
we're waiting for them to need us?"  
  
"I think we're not supposed to do anything tonight. The convention isn't  
supposed to start until tomorrow," Noa said, picking up some of her bags.  
  
Asuma sighed, put his own bag around his shoulder, and started leading them  
towards the elevator. "Yeah, okay... but what are we supposed to do  
tomorrow, while the convention is underway?"  
  
"Well, we could try and see what the convention has to offer," Noa offered.  
"Chief Sakaki allowed me to learn a few of the basics about mechanics, and  
you always seem to know the details of the latest advances in labor  
design..."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't seem to be having the best of  
luck with the sorts of things this convention deals with lately."  
  
Noa giggled happily and hugged Asuma's free arm to her. He stiffened- not  
only were they in public, but Hiromi, one of their fellow officers with the  
SV2, was watching. Didn't she realize that they might get caught if she  
were to do something like that?  
  
"Ah, are you afraid of the big nasty tools and motors?" she cooed. "Don't  
worry, I'll protect you."  
  
"Gah!" Asuma cried, retreating from her grasp. "No, I'm not afraid of the  
tools. Sheesh!" She pouted up at him. "Okay, okay," he relented. "We'll  
look around the show tomorrow- but we might as well do something else while  
we're here, too. We basically have the day off- we could go to the movies  
or something."  
  
That time, it was Noa who stiffened. She hadn't even thought of the  
possibility of going out on a date- their first 'real' date, even. "Um...  
YEAH! Let's go to a movie tomorrow night. Any suggestions?"  
  
Asuma thought about it for a second. Noa usually liked mecha movies- she'd  
gone ga-ga over the Nadesico movie they'd seen a while back- however, he  
couldn't think of any movies of that sort that they hadn't seen before. He  
considered the options.  
  
They could go see a horror movie. Horror movies were generally considered  
good date movies because, at scary moments, girls would (in theory) grab  
hold of their date to 'protect' them. He didn't particularly like horror  
movies, himself, however- he'd seen enough horror in his life- and he  
doubted Noa would like them, either.  
  
They could go see a romance movie. He didn't know about Noa, but most  
women loved those mushy stories about a boy and a girl falling for each  
other. The problem with that was that he would probably fall asleep before  
the end, and that probably wouldn't be a good thing.  
  
They could go to an action movie- both of them would probably like that.   
However, action movies weren't exactly date movies. If they were going to  
think of this as a date, they should try something else.  
  
Which only left comedies. A comedy might be good- getting a girl laughing  
would be a good thing on a date, provided the girl is not laughing AT her  
date. They'd both be able to enjoy it, at least.  
  
"We should check the movie listings tonight to see what's playing  
tomorrow," he suggested, "But how about we try and find a comedy to go to?   
And maybe go out to dinner before that?"  
  
Noa smiled. "That sounds like a good idea- lets go dump this stuff we're  
carrying in our room and go see if we can find a newspaper!"  
  
Hiromi, quietly following them, smiled slightly. Everyone seemed to forget  
about him when he wasn't needed- which was fine with him. It allowed him  
to get insights into his friends that he otherwise wouldn't get. It had  
actually surprised him when Shinohara seemed to be concerned about his  
presence when Izumi had hugged his arm.  
  
Right now, he felt a little like a proud father- Izumi and Shinohara had  
worked out their differences (thanks, in part, to his advice- he thought),  
and it now sounded like they were going out on another date. Considering  
what he'd overheard them talking about last week, this was probably a REAL  
date for them. He sincerely hoped nothing would go wrong.  
  
*****  
  
A council of mechanics had gathered together in room 516, and started  
discussing their plans.  
  
"Are you certain we haven't done enough?" one of them said.  
  
"NO!" the other seven growled. "Asuma must pay for having yelled at the  
beautiful and cute Natsume Kawai, and being cruel to all women everywhere!   
So have we vowed!"  
  
"Well, of course he does," the first one said, trying to sound reasonable.   
"But, well, we've already made it nearly impossible to sleep for a week, we  
thrust him into darkness, and we have taken away the creature comforts of  
the command car."  
  
"That's not enough!" a different mechanic said. "We must make him suffer  
more!"  
  
"Yes, more!" another one agreed. "He's escaped his punishment by coming  
with us to his convention, so we must add on to them! Double the load we  
had originally intended!"  
  
"No, triple it!"  
  
"Make his life a living hell!"  
  
"And we do it all for the beloved Natsume Kawai!" they all, including the  
one dissenter (caught up in the moment), chorused.  
  
"So, let's get down to making plans..."  
  
*****  
  
January 15, 2000  
  
"See?" Noa said as they approached their room. She was following Asuma,  
who held a bag full of papers, pens, pins, business cards, and other sample  
items collected from the convention tables. "I told you that it wouldn't  
be that bad. You haven't been dripped on, frozen, or sent into the dark  
all day, have you?"  
  
He smiled slightly, digging through his pockets for their keycard. "No, I  
guess I haven't. Let's drop this stuff off and freshen up before we head  
out- do you want to use the bathroom first or should I?"  
  
"You use it first- I need a couple of minutes to pick something to wear."  
  
Asuma sighed slightly as he pulled out the key. They were dressed fine-  
neither of them were in uniform, and he was dressed up pretty decently.   
She'd look good in anything, but that blouse and pants set fit her very  
well. Why did women always have to spend so much time trying to decide  
what to-  
  
"Aagh!" he screamed immediately after grabbing the door handle, stumbling  
backwards.  
  
"Asuma!" Noa cried, reaching out to steady him. "What's wrong?!"  
  
Asuma shook his head, trying to clear it. "I got shocked- and not just  
like a static spark, either- it felt like I was caught by Alphonse's  
electromagnetic baton."  
  
Across the hall, a door opened up. A group of the SV2's mechanics ran out  
the door.  
  
"We heard a shout," one of them said. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yeah," Asuma said. "Something's wrong with my door handle- it nearly  
electrocuted me when I tried to open it."  
  
"Really?" another mechanic, this one an electronics expert, said. "Let me  
take a look at it- maybe I can figure out what's wrong with it."  
  
"Be my guest," Asuma offered, gesturing to the offending door latch.  
  
"My tools," the electrician said. Immediately, a toolbox was placed in his  
hands. Donning some rubber gloves, he pulled out a screw driver and neatly  
popped the case off the electronic lock. "Looks like a short in the  
electronic lock that's being conducted through the metal of the door knob  
somehow- I'll be able to fix it in a couple of hours."  
  
"Hours?" Noa cried.  
  
"'Fraid so."  
  
"Then can Asuma and I use your bathroom to freshen up? We were planning to  
go out tonight, and I'm not letting this stop us!" she cried, determination  
written in her face.  
  
"Uh..." The engineers looked at each other as if to ask a question of  
everyone. Finally, one of them spoke up. "I don't think there's a problem  
with that, no."  
  
One engineer led them into the room while the other four that were gathered  
huddled around outside.  
  
"I didn't know they were planning on a date tonight!" one of them said in a  
hushed tone. "I certainly didn't mean to inconvenience Noa."  
  
"I say it's all right to inconvenience her a little, this time. We have to  
get her out of the grasp of the dreaded Shinohara! She has such a fine  
appreciation of labor mechanics that she deserves someone better than him."  
  
"What are you suggesting?" the others whispered.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" he said. "We must ruin this date- make it go so badly  
that they'll break up with each other, and she'll finally be free of him!"  
  
"I don't know..." one of them, the dissenter from the previous night, said  
hesitantly. "I mean, if we do that, it might hurt Noa, and then would we  
be any better than Asuma?"  
  
"We aren't trying to hurt her- it's tough love!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Look, if it bothers you that much, than stay here- but the rest of us are  
going to be working on ridding the world of that enemy to women  
everywhere!"  
  
The dissenter stared at him, wide-eyed. 'Ridding the world? How far does  
this guy plan on taking all of this?'  
  
*****  
  
Shige studied the pipes over Asuma's bed in shock. Sure, it was weird that  
all of the fluorescent bulbs in the room were incompatible with the slots  
they were put in, causing them to burn out quickly, but that might have  
been a mistake made on the requisitioning forms. This, however, was  
obvious vandalism.  
  
There was a very small hole drilled into the plumbing, and around that hole  
a piece of towel had been fastened. The result was a very slow leak onto  
Asuma's bed, with no apparent loss of water pressure.  
  
But why would someone want to do THAT? Confused, Shige proceeded to patch  
the hole. He'd have to ask someone about that later, but the first  
priority was to stop the leak before it got worse...  
  
*****  
  
Noa frowned at Asuma. He didn't seem to be paying attention to her, and  
had seemed awfully listless when he was ordering his food. She wondered if  
he was distracted by something or just bored. If he was distracted by  
something, though, it was her job to find out what and see if she could  
help, and if he was just bored... well, it was STILL her job to try and  
help. That was what a girlfriend did, right?  
  
"Asuma, what's wrong?" she asked, biting back the fear that she just wasn't  
interesting enough for him.  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry- I was just thinking about that short in the door, and all  
these other things that have been happening to me."  
  
Noa sighed- that was his 'I'm coming up with a plan' voice. The last time  
she'd heard him use it, he wound up leaving her stranded at a pizza place-  
after having left behind the pizza. True, that WAS a pretty serious  
situation- the virus in the Hyper Operating System could easily have caused  
an army of labors to wipe out Tokyo. Still, she'd been rather annoyed at  
that.  
  
As she was watching, however, he visibly dropped that mindset. "I'm sorry-  
I shouldn't be thinking about things like that right now, should I? I  
should be thinking about you."  
  
It still seemed obviously strained, however. "Are you sure you want to?"  
Noa asked. "It sounds like you'd rather think about your problems than  
me."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I can hear it in your voice. And not just now- every time you say  
something nice to me, it sounds so forced, and you shied away when I tried  
to hug you by the elevators yesterday..." Small tears started to form in  
Noa's eyes. This wasn't at all how she pictured it- she'd thought Asuma  
liked her and cared about her, and so trying to build their relationship  
would make him happy, but instead it seemed as if he was treating it all as  
some unwelcome obligation. "Maybe... maybe this just isn't going to work  
out, and we should go back to being 'just friends' before we carry things  
too far... I mean, this is just our first real date, so we shouldn't have  
too much trouble forgetting I ever said anything about us..."  
  
Asuma panicked. He wanted this new relationship to work out- it was  
perhaps the best thing he had going for him- but because he felt awkward  
trying to talk to Noa about it, he was about to lose it. He had to say  
something.  
  
"Noa, I..." He hesitated. How could he repair the damage done? How could  
they start over? Suddenly, those two words clicked in his head- start  
over. "I'm going to say some things- they might hurt, but I hope when I'm  
done saying them you and I will feel better, because right now I think  
we're BOTH pretty miserable."  
  
Noa sniffed. This was it- he was going to tell her once and for all it was  
impossible, and break up with her. Such a silly thing, thinking she might  
actually have been able to get someone she cared about like Asuma to ever  
feel anything for her...  
  
"Maybe you're partly right. Maybe this relationship isn't going to work  
out," Asuma said.  
  
Noa gasped. This was it. Her worst nightmare, coming true...  
  
"But I don't think we can go back to being 'just friends.'"  
  
No, it was WORSE than her worst nightmare. She was even going to lose his  
friendship.  
  
"See, Noa, I've sort of liked you 'that way' for quite some time- almost  
ever since I saw you when you were trying to find the Labor Aptitude Test  
nearly a year ago, now- and now that I've found out that you maybe share a  
little bit of that feeling too, I don't want to just set it aside and stamp  
it down, any more."  
  
Eh? What was that?  
  
"But, see, the problem is I don't know how to treat you now that I know you  
like me. I don't know how to give you compliments, even if I feel you  
deserve them and believe them. I really think that you are more worth  
thinking about and talking about than any stupid problems I'm having, but I  
just have so much trouble actually SAYING something like that it feels  
forced."  
  
"Asuma?" Noa marveled. He wasn't breaking up with her... but what WAS he  
doing?  
  
"I've been trying to make you happy, even if it means saying things that I  
feel real uncomfortable saying. But... I'm not going to do that any more."  
He looked at Noa. "I may insult or tease you a bit, and not treat you  
right, but that's just who I am. If you can take that and still want to be  
my... well, I guess girlfriend is the best word- if you can take that, then  
maybe this relationship will work out."  
  
Noa thought about that. Well, she really hadn't seen THAT much change in  
him the past week, outside of his being nervous. And more polite. And  
he'd been asking for her input on certain decisions that affected them  
which he'd usually just make on his own. Okay, maybe he had been trying to  
change.  
  
But she didn't ask him to make any of those changes. She kind of liked it  
when he was bossy at times- it almost felt like a game, and she never was  
one to ask for compliments to be showered down upon her. The changes were  
things he'd decided to do himself. While they might have been a pleasant  
surprise, she didn't really need them- so, of course, there was no decision  
to make.  
  
"Asuma, I asked if we could try this out knowing that you've been a jerk to  
me in the past, and I fully expect you to be one to me sometimes even  
though we go out on real dates and things. So of course I can accept it,"  
she said. Asuma looked relieved, until a teasingly devilish smile appeared  
on Noa's face- a smile which he hadn't seen very often before. Well, he  
had, but it was when she was teasing him about HIS toothaches after all the  
teasing he had done over hers, and so he really hadn't bothered to memorize  
it. "So, if you liked me all this time, why haven't you done anything  
about it until now?"  
  
Asuma blinked. "You know, my father asked me the same thing- if I liked  
you, why weren't we going out. I couldn't really get an answer for him,  
except for the stupid laws about people in the same police division not  
dating." He chuckled. "He said he didn't think I'd let that stop me- and  
it didn't."  
  
Now Noa really was curious- she'd just been teasing before. "Well, what  
DID stop you?"  
  
'Just don't mention Alphonse,' a tiny part of his brain warned. "I don't  
really know," he said. "Maybe because-"  
  
Thankfully, he didn't have to come up with an answer as their waiter came  
up to them in that moment.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, sir," the waiter said. "But we can't fill your order  
today. For some reason, the gas has been turned off and so we are unable  
to cook any food until the gas company has sent someone to check it out.   
We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience, and any drinks you have  
ordered are complimentary."  
  
Asuma's eye twitched. "The gas is out?" The waiter nodded. "Figures.   
Okay, thank you." The waiter turned and left.  
  
Noa pouted. "Now what are we going to do about dinner?"  
  
Asuma checked his watch and sighed. "Well, we don't have time to go  
anywhere else- we'll just finish our drinks and see if we can find  
somewhere to eat after the movie."  
  
Noa smiled slightly. "Sounds good. Oh, and Asuma?"  
  
"Yeah, Noa?"  
  
"You aren't the only person who doesn't know why they waited so long..."  
  
*****  
  
Chief Sakaki inspected the pipes as Shige babbled on about the stuff he  
could see for himself. Someone in the SV2 was a saboteur- and, in this  
case, it looked like a practical joker going too far. After shutting down  
the water to the pipe, he inspected the holes put into it.  
  
Precision drilling with top-of-the-line tools, measured out perfectly to  
keep the water from flowing too fast yet let it flow enough to cause a  
steady drip. Centered directly over Asuma's pillow- obviously, the person  
who did this was a mechanic. One of HIS mechanics.  
  
"Shige," he said, interrupting his apprentice. "Tell me- do you know if  
Asuma has done anything that anyone might have taken offense at, lately?"  
  
Shige frowned. "Well, last week he snapped at Ms. Kawai, but he later  
apologized to her and she told me she totally understood what was wrong  
after he'd talked to Noa. It couldn't be her."  
  
Sakaki nodded. Of course it wouldn't be Kawai- he already knew it was a  
mechanic. But if one of the mechanics thought it would put them in her  
good graces...  
  
"Hmm... let everyone know I want to see them one at a time in my office for  
questioning. I'm going to go talk to Gotoh about something."  
  
*****  
  
Noa laughed along with the audience at a particularly funny moment in the  
movie.  
  
"This movie was a good idea- it helps balance out all the seriousness at  
the restaurant," she whispered to Asuma, leaning up against him.  
  
Asuma stuck a hand behind her head, giving her a gentle one-armed hug.   
"Well, it wasn't exactly PLANNED that way, but you're right- it does."  
  
Noa looked at his hand wrapped around her. "Hmm... you sure you aren't  
pushing yourself right now?"  
  
Asuma shook his head. "Nah- it feels too natural."  
  
Any further conversation, however, was ruined when the sprinkler system  
went off, causing cries of outrage and panic to sound out from around the  
theater.  
  
"Aagh!"  
  
"What's going on?!"  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have worn this white blouse!"  
  
Many people started scrambling for the doorways while the water continued  
to rain down on the theater.  
  
Noa, with Asuma bent over her and using his body to help shield her from  
the downpour, sighed. "I guess your problem is getting worse. Maybe I  
shouldn't have tried to get you to think of me when we were at the  
restaurant, and just let you figure out what's wrong."  
  
"Oh, I have a few ideas... but let's not worry about that right now. Let's  
concentrate on getting out of here." He sighed. "Sorry our date got  
ruined."  
  
Noa thought about it. They'd gotten over some issues they had to deal  
with, she'd had a fun time with the part of the movie she'd seen (and it  
was silly enough she didn't care about missing the end of it), and now here  
she was, with Asuma holding her while trying to protect her from the fire  
sprinklers.  
  
"Actually, Asuma," she said, "It might not have gone perfectly, but it  
wasn't that bad."  
  
*****  
  
January 16, 2000  
  
Things had gone rather uneventfully since the end of the date. Dinner, of  
course, was out of the question- their clothes had been soaked through, and  
by the time they got into their room and changed all the restaurants had  
been closed.  
  
As had happened on the night they had arrived, Hiromi spent the night of  
the 15th in the same room as Noa and Asuma, and most of his waking time  
with them as they went through some parts of the convention they had missed  
before, as well. The 16th was much the same... At least, he did until  
getting a phone call at about noon- after that, he started hanging around  
the engineers all the time.  
  
And that lead to the current situation. He hadn't returned for the night-  
in fact, he'd left a note saying that he wasn't going to be back until the  
next morning. And that meant that Noa and Asuma would have to sleep alone  
together in the same room that night, without the relaxing presence of  
Hiromi to chaperone them.  
  
It was, to say the least, a fairly uncomfortable situation.  
  
"Well... it's not like we haven't done this before," Noa said hopefully,  
trying to stretch her sleeping robe to cover more of her. "I mean,  
remember the time we spend the night at that little inn in Sakata?"  
  
Asuma glared at her. "Yeah- you hit me."  
  
"Hey! You were trying to steal Captain Gotoh's hatahata!"  
  
"I just wanted a midnight snack! I would have replaced what I ate!"  
  
"Well, I was nervous!"  
  
Asuma sighed. "And are you nervous now?"  
  
"Well... a little. But I trust you more, now- I don't think I'll be  
hitting you this time unless you do something weird."  
  
"Well, that's comforting," Asuma said, peeling back the covers of his bed.  
  
Noa chuckled. He looked kinda cute when he was annoyed like that. In  
fact, it reminded her of something.  
  
"Say, Asuma, there's something I want to do before we go to bed, and I'll  
need your help for it," Noa said, getting one of her determined looks on  
her face.  
  
Asuma look up. "Yeah? Ulmph!"  
  
Reaching up, Noa grabbed him, pulled him down, and gave him a rather deep  
kiss full on the lips, her hands running into his hair. After a few  
seconds, Asuma's arms came around her, and he started returning the kiss.  
  
Shortly after that, Noa released him and the kiss. "About time- I've been  
waiting for a chance to try that," she said. "This was the first time  
we've been alone and haven't had to worry about someone bursting in on us  
in a while. So, how did you like our first kiss?"  
  
"Wow. Um, I... uh... just-"  
  
Asuma stopped when Noa put a finger over his lips. "Shh- don't try and  
force anything. I can tell how you feel now."  
  
With that, she just smiled at him and then crawled into her bed.   
"Goodnight, Asuma." She flipped off the light switch.  
  
It was several more minutes before Asuma moved again.  
  
*****  
  
January 18, 2000  
  
The mechanics' demonstration on the 17th went off without a hitch, and  
Noa's performance was flawless. Hiromi left Asuma and Noa alone again, but  
after having gone through it once they didn't have any real problem with  
it... and Noa once again was able to kiss Asuma goodnight. This time,   
however, she wasn't able to surprise him with it.  
  
The biggest surprise was that Asuma hadn't had any problems since that date  
night. Now, however, it was time to go home, and he knew he'd have to deal  
with a particular problem that hadn't been fixed.  
  
"Hey, Noa?" he called, packing the trunk of the command car with their  
bags.  
  
"Yeah, Asuma?" she said, coming up from having piloted the third labor into  
the carrier.  
  
"Why don't you ride back with Hiromi? The heater is still busted, and  
there's no reason we should both suffer..."  
  
"You sure you don't want me in there with you?" she said.  
  
Asuma chuckled. "Of course I do, but you should just go with Hiromi, so I  
won't have to worry about you...."  
  
"Worry about me?"  
  
"Well, if I think you're going to get cold, I'll feel too guilty and have  
to give you my jacket or something else which will make ME get cold. So,  
it's better for both of us if you go with Hiromi."  
  
Noa sighed. "Oh, well. I'll see you when we get back home."  
  
Asuma chuckled and ruffled Noa's hair playfully. "Hey, we aren't really  
going to be separated by that much, and we're just driving back to work,  
anyway. Don't act like we're going on separate vacations or something."  
  
Noa shrugged. "It's just that this weekend was so nice since we didn't  
have to hide so much, and it feels like we're going to be... trapped... for  
quite a while, so I just... I don't know, I just feel like I'm not going to  
be really seeing you for a while."  
  
"Okay, if that's how you feel..." He reached over, grabbed her, and not  
caring if anyone saw him gave her a quick but intense kiss. "We have to  
hide it when we're on the base, but that doesn't mean we can't still act  
how we feel occasionally. We just have to be careful about it. To prove  
it to you, I promise to give you one of those within a day of getting  
back."  
  
Noa staggered back a little. That was their first kiss that was even  
remotely close to being public (though it was highly unlikely anyone saw  
it), and it affected her a little. Perhaps the thrill of avoiding capture  
would add something to it, instead of just making it more difficult to  
relax...  
  
"Well, then, we'd better start hurrying back, huh?" With that, she darted  
back to the labor transport and hopped on board.  
  
Shaking his head, a smile on his face, he stepped into his car. 'Oh,  
well... hopefully, the mechanics haven't done anything ELSE to the car  
while we were here. I guess Sakaki found out and they got Hiromi to keep  
an eye on them the past few days, but one might have slipped by him... ah,  
well. We'll see.'  
  
*****  
  
Asuma had been driving for about a half hour, but had only just gotten out  
of Yokohama. Once he did, however, the road in front of him was finally  
clear. Once he reached a long, straight piece of road- a bridge- he  
accelerated.  
  
The labor carrier wasn't too far behind him, and the van carrying the  
members of the maintenance squad wasn't very far behind that. He wasn't  
exactly trying to lose them, but he wanted to get back to SV2 Headquarters  
before Noa did so he could find somewhere 'private' where they could be  
together without fear, if they wanted. He had a few ideas, but he had to  
make sure they were, well, clean enough for her before he could bring her  
to them.  
  
Suddenly, the back of his seat gave out. Too startled to think about what  
he was doing, his hands left the wheel and his legs came kicking up-  
knocking the wheel to the right.  
  
In the labor transport behind him, Noa saw Asuma's car swerve off the  
bridge.  
  
"Noooooo! Asuma!"  
  
The command car teetered off the bridge, but didn't fall. However, it was  
hanging delicately from the side, and there was no way it could stay there  
for long.  
  
"Oh, no..." Noa said. "Asuma..." Her face took on that determined look.   
"Hiromi! Help me get the labor ready!"  
  
*****  
  
"Asuma, are you all right?! Asuma!"  
  
"Noa?" Asuma muttered. He was lying in his car, strapped into his broken  
seat. A part of the instrument panel had become dislodged and smashed into  
his head, but now it was lying on the dashboard in front of him. He could  
see a little blood on the corner that had hit him.  
  
Noa's voice was now ringing in his ears. "Asuma? Can you hear me?"  
  
Shaking his head to try and get the cobwebs out, he turned on the  
transmitter for his headset. "I read you... what the hell happened?"  
  
"You went over a bridge wall... I'm in the labor, but I can't pull you up-  
your car is caught on something down there. Right now, though, I'm at  
least able to keep you from falling over the edge. Hiromi's arranging a  
way to get you unhooked..."  
  
Asuma frowned. "Where are the mechanics?"  
  
"Um, well, see..."  
  
*****  
  
5 Minutes Earlier  
  
The van with the mechanics drove up just as the labor had reached and  
started lifting the command car. Hiromi, wearing a headset in order to  
keep in touch with Noa, was standing there watching. The van stopped, and  
everyone in it got out.  
  
"What's going on?" one of the mechanics said.  
  
"We don't know how it happened," Hiromi said, keeping his eyes on Noa's  
work. "But for some reason his car suddenly spun out of control and nearly  
plunged off the bridge. Noa's trying to pull it up, but it appears to be  
caught on something."  
  
Another mechanic glared at the first one. "I told you that you were going  
too far! But no, you said UMPH!"  
  
Three other mechanics pounced on him. "What are you doing, man?! You WANT  
to get us all thrown out?"  
  
They wrestled for a few seconds until one of them looked over at the  
wreckage. Asuma's car was now securely held with no danger of falling the  
rest of the way into the water below, but the labor holding it was staring  
at the group of mechanics in such a way that the observer was wondering if  
he and the others had added enough enhancements into it to allow it to  
display the pilot's emotions, as well. At any rate, he definitely felt the  
labor glaring at them angrily.  
  
Hiromi had also frozen. It wasn't until he had turned around, and an anger  
that no-one had ever seen on that face before was plainly visible.  
  
"Um... what, exactly, did you do to Asuma?" he said through gritted teeth.  
  
That's right. The gentle giant was REALLY mad.  
  
"Um... well, it was just supposed to be a little joke, that's all..."  
  
Hiromi's hands visibly clenched up into fists, and that was all that was  
needed. In a matter of seconds, the entire story came out- how Asuma  
insulting Natsume had lead to the mechanics declaring war on him, and how  
this was the latest of a number of tricks they were trying to pull on him.  
  
"It was just supposed to make it uncomfortable for him to sit, not cause an  
accident!" the panicked leader was saying.  
  
"Well," Hiromi said menacingly. "You people are going to do something  
about it- like put together a winch to help us safely get the car off of  
whatever's caught it. And next time, before taking vengeance on someone  
for saying something stupid, you should find out WHY he said it- as it  
happens, Asuma was going to deal with some serious family problems, and he  
apologized to Ms. Kawai later. But did you bother to find any of that out?  
No- and another thing, damaging the pipes at SV2 Headquarters is serious-  
now, the maintenance dorms aren't going to be getting hot water for several  
days while the pipes in Asuma's room get replaced, and..."  
  
*****  
  
Back in the present...  
  
"...and he went on like that, listing everything that had happened- they  
even tried to ruin our date because they thought you were going to mistreat  
me!"  
  
By this point in her story, they had already recovered the car, and were in  
an ambulance on the way to the hospital so they could get his head injury  
looked at. There had been several interruptions, of course, as the winches  
were put to use and the ambulance arrived, but finally she had reached the  
end of the story.  
  
"Huh," Asuma said. "I figured it was probably the mechanics- or at least A  
mechanic- but I didn't know why. I don't even remember what I did to  
Natsume, too..."  
  
Noa sighed, dabbing at his cut with a wet cloth as she'd been instructed to  
by the paramedics. "It certainly wasn't enough to justify this."  
  
Asuma chuckled. "Don't let it change how you feel about the maintenance  
squad- everyone there treats us pretty good. They just over-react to some  
things, and sometimes take things too far. It's part of who they are..."   
Shaking his head, he continued, "I can't even imagine what Chief Sakaki's  
going to do when he finds out..."  
  
*****  
  
The mechanic who had been the one dissenter in the group swam over to their  
former leader.  
  
"I told you we'd taken things far enough- if it weren't for you overdoing  
it, no-one would have found out."  
  
"Ya know," the former leader said absently, totally ignoring the comment.   
"I never really realized that he was serious when he said he would throw us  
into the sea... I guess I was wrong."  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: With a period of unseasonable warmth, two mighty forces  
decide to do battle on the field of softball. Will Ohta stop throwing  
fastballs? Will Gotoh actually take an at-bat? Will the game EVER end?   
Find out in Episode 10...  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  



	10. Episode 10: Gotoh at the Bat

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 10: Gotoh At The Bat  
  
January 27, 2000  
  
It was an unseasonably warm January day in Tokyo. All of the SV2 was  
off-duty at the moment- all three units had been called to provide  
round-the-clock security for some very high-level political negotiations,  
but they had arrived at the site ahead of schedule and had several hours of  
time to kill. Noa just happened to have her glove and a softball with her,  
and suggested to Asuma that they head over to a nearby field (belonging to  
a high school) and get a game of catch going. Shortly thereafter, they  
were joined by the rest of the second unit, and finally the other two units  
joined in as well. Soon, they were divvying up teams for a friendly little  
match of softball as the three unit captains looked on.  
  
"So," Noa whispered to Asuma. "Same bets as before?"  
  
Since coming back from that nearly disastrous engineering and mechanics  
conference nearly two weeks beforehand, the two of them had been coming up  
with some sort of daily competition. Whoever lost had to be the one to   
find that day's private location, where they could act like the couple they   
were becoming (they had figured that going to the same place all the time   
might get a little suspicious). This impromptu softball game was a perfect  
opportunity, since they had been made the opposing team captains.  
  
"Nah," Asuma said, shaking his head. "After our duty shift, we'll be free  
to go out on our own, so we don't need to worry about privacy today.   
Instead, let's say whoever loses buys dinner tonight, okay?"  
  
Noa smiled and nodded. "Deal."  
  
Gotoh, watching them in the background, sighed. "Oh, to be young again."  
  
Asuma stiffened, overhearing. He wasn't ENTIRELY sure that Gotoh knew what  
was going on, but when he first saw the captain upon returning from the  
convention he and Noa had gone to, Gotoh had casually said, "I know what's  
been going on for the past week or so. Make sure you don't let it  
interfere with your job." While that SEEMED to refer to the incident with  
the mechanics, the way Gotoh had said it made Asuma think that he was  
referring to something else. The thought that he and Noa might already  
have been 'caught' made Asuma a little jumpy, at times.  
  
"Okay, team," Noa cried as she walked off, bringing him back to the  
present. "We'll bat in this order..."  
  
Soon, Noa's team was up, with Ueki Mashimo, one of Unit 1's transport  
officers, on the plate and Natsume Kawai on deck. Ohta was pitching,  
Shinshi was catching, and Asuma was playing shortstop. Officers of the  
Riot Squad, who had also been called in to protect this delegation, were  
watching from the fence. And the game was on.  
  
Ohta's first pitch screamed past Ueki, and hit the top of Shinshi's glove  
so hard that it ricocheted into his head and knocked him over.  
  
"Oof!" Shinshi gasped.  
  
"Nice pitch," Gotoh commented wearily.  
  
"Yeah... for a baseball game," the riot squad commander said.  
  
"Throw it underhand, you idiot! UNDERHAND! This is softball!" Ueki  
shouted angrily.  
  
"You're a cop!" Ohta shot back. "You should be expecting anything, and be  
able to adapt to any situation!"  
  
Shinshi sat up dazedly. "Tamiko, did you get the number of the labor that  
hit me?"  
  
"We aren't on duty, you idiot!" Ueki returned to Ohta. "And this isn't the  
sort of thing that philosophy applies to!"  
  
"Tamiko, where are you?" Shinshi muttered, walking around and looking from  
person to person.  
  
"You call yourself a police officer?"  
  
Shinshi walked up to Natsume, and looked her up and down. "You aren't  
Tamiko... what have you done with Tamiko?"  
  
Natsume blinked. "Um..."  
  
"Your own catcher wasn't expecting you to throw the ball that hard! Now  
he's going around calling everyone 'Tamiko!'"  
  
The riot squad commander, still standing next to Gotoh, laughed. "No  
wonder you guys have such a bad reputation. You're teams can't work  
together at all- you're hopeless!"  
  
"They aren't that bad, once you get to know them," Gotoh noted.  
  
"Oh, please. These people couldn't get along if their lives depended on  
it! They're utterly incompetent! It's amazing that no-one in the SV2 has  
been killed, yet," the squad commander snorted.  
  
"Oh? You really think we can't get along?" Gotoh queried, noting that the  
other man's voice had caught the attention of a couple of the people  
waiting to hit.  
  
"I'd be willing to bet on it!"  
  
"Is that so?" Gotoh said. "How about a little softball match, your riot  
squad unit versus the SV2? Seven innings, losing squad treats the winning  
squad to dinner after this assignment is over?"  
  
The riot squad commander raised an eyebrow at Gotoh. "Anything we want?"  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Even Tokyo beef, if you want. But you must be prepared to  
reciprocate in kind."  
  
Tokyo beef! At 15,000 yen a pound, it was one of the most expensive  
available not just in Japan, but anywhere in the world. On a policeman's  
salary, it would be VERY difficult to save up enough money to spend it on  
such an extravagant meal. Even the chance to be treated to such a meal was  
more than the riot squad commander could even dream of. And what were the  
chances of this disorganized group of misfits defeating his well-trained  
and highly competent team? He could almost taste that meal already. A  
thin line of drool escaped out of the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this? This is your last chance to back  
out...." the riot squad commander asked.  
  
Gotoh smirked. "That's my line."  
  
The riot squad commander raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Very well. A  
match, then. Seven innings of softball. After the assignment has been  
completed."  
  
Shinshi, still dazed, walked up to Gotoh and grabbed him by the lapels of  
his shirt. The glasses he wore were humming mysteriously as they shined in  
the sun. "What have you done with Tamiko?" he demanded.  
  
The riot squad commander could barely keep a straight face. "Good luck,"  
he chuckled.  
  
*****  
  
Gomioka raised an eyebrow after hearing Gotoh's request. "Let me get this  
straight. You made a bet that you would pay for dinner for the fifty men  
of the Riot Squad- a dinner which could cost you anything- that involved  
not just your OWN troop of misfits, but Shinobu's and my units as well?"  
  
Gotoh looked at him tiredly. "Um, you expect me to have that much money on  
hand? You and I make pretty much the same salary, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I know. How do you expect to pay for it? You DO plan to pay for it  
if you lose, right?" Gomioka growled.  
  
Gotoh coughed. "Well, I plan to pay part of it."  
  
"Part of it? Who do you think is going to pay the rest... oh, no. No!   
I'm not having any part of this!"  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "I didn't ask you to. I have a feeling that everyone will  
be willing to help out, however."  
  
Gomioka stood proudly. "You may try to talk them into it if you wish, but  
I doubt that you'll be able to talk anyone into following this ridiculous  
scheme!"  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "If they don't, I can call things off easily enough."   
With that, he left the temporary command station that the SV2 had set up  
for the assignment.  
  
Shinobu stood up from her chair, tapped the pages of the report she had  
been writing evenly on her desk, and sighed. "Captain Gomioka," she began,  
trying to keep a smile from appearing on her face. "You're going to have  
to learn that Gotoh is quite capable of getting people to do what he wants  
them to do. He's going to win that game."  
  
Gomioka stood up himself. "I'll be shocked if he can even assemble a full  
team for the game. Win it? Ha!"  
  
*****  
  
The eighteen men and women who crewed the SV2 limbered up in the baseball  
park. The game was only a half hour away, and they needed to be ready.   
After all, this wasn't just about some silly bet- this was about honor.   
Joudo Ishikawa and Takeo Kumagami had BOTH heard the captain of the riot  
squad call them all incompetent, and lucky not to be dead. It was probably  
at least partially true, but STILL- it was insulting when someone just said  
it like that.  
  
When Gotoh had come to them, letting them know that there was a chance to  
redeem their honor- only risking the cost of paying for a few dinners (not  
thinking how much those dinners might cost, mind), there was little  
hesitation. Well, a few people with small bank accounts hesitated a  
little, and Shinshi hesitated a lot, but that was because he was still  
hurting from that pitch Ohta through.  
  
That changed, though, when a few riot squad officers, carrying some papers  
that Captain Gotoh had asked to be delivered to their captain, came by  
while Shinshi's group was getting ready for their shift to start. Ohta,  
thankfully, was unable to hear their taunts from the cockpit of his labor-  
he might have been angered to the point of murder, otherwise- but Shinshi  
had no such protection.  
  
"Oh, look- it's the SV2," the first one noted in a sing-song voice.   
"Getting ready to look all impressive in their giant tin cans."  
  
"Heh," the second one snorted. "Real men don't need labors to do their  
fighting for them."  
  
That caught Shinshi's attention.  
  
"Yeah," a third agreed. "You people in the SV2 aren't real men- you're  
just a bunch of boys. How do some boys like you expect to beat a bunch of  
men like us?"  
  
"Excuse me?!" Shinshi replied in a very strained voice, his glasses singing  
as the sun glared off of them.  
  
"You heard us!" the first exclaimed. "You BOYS are hopeless! Give up now,  
and spare yourselves a little dignity."  
  
The other riot squad members laughed as the first one led them off to the  
makeshift lounge area that had been set up for the off duty police during  
the visit. Shinshi, however, was not going to let his targets disappearing  
dissuade him from his wrath. Walking over to the command car, he grabbed  
the radio transmitter.  
  
"Ohta!" Shinshi barked. "Get out of that labor right now! I'm going to  
get someone else to take over our shift."  
  
Ohta was a little surprised at this change of plan. "What? Why?"  
  
"When you get out of there, find your glove and ball right away! We have  
to practice! And we ARE going to win that game, if I have to kidnap the  
rest of the SV2 in order to get them to play!"  
  
With that, Ohta was browbeaten into a three hour practice session that made  
Shinshi into a very respectable- and very determined- catcher.  
  
That practice was long over, however, and Gotoh was making the last minute  
alterations to the SV2 team's starting line-up while the four volunteer  
referees from the security guards they and the riot squad had been working  
with looked on. A couple of members seemed a little reluctant to stand  
anywhere near Shinshi, but that was to be expected- they were the people  
who he had 'convinced' to participate.  
  
Gotoh checked something he had written on a piece of paper and frowned  
slightly. Walking up to Kanuka, he asked, "Hmm... do you know how to pitch  
softball?"  
  
Ohta, stretching nearby, fell flat on his face. "WHAT?!" he cried.  
  
Kanuka shrugged. "Softball was never my best sport, but I'm pretty sure my  
skills are more than adequate for this game."  
  
Ohta picked himself up off the ground and ran over to Gotoh. "But I want  
to pitch!" he whined, using the same voice he usually used when begging to  
fire a gun.  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "I'll put you in as the closer, but I don't think you've  
got an arm that will last for the whole game...."  
  
"Of course I do! I spent three hours practicing with Shinshi yesterday-"  
  
"And that is why I don't think you'll have the endurance for today. You  
already tired out your arm, you won't be able to pitch very many  
pitches...."  
  
Ohta facefaulted as soon as he understood what the captain was saying- he'd  
practiced his way out of playing. Gotoh ignored him and continued  
assigning people to their positions.  
  
"Asuma, you'll play shortstop. Noa, you're second base. Shinshi's  
catcher..."  
  
*****  
  
When all was said and done, the SV2 had a rather solid starting lineup,  
even including a third base coach. Hideki Nomo, the old officer with just  
one hand who drove one of Unit One's labor transports, wasn't able to play,  
but Gotoh was able to convince him to relay his calls to the base runners  
or onto the field.  
  
In addition to having Kanuka as the pitcher, Noa and Asuma as the second  
baseman (woman) and shortstop, and Shinshi as catcher, Gotoh had filled the  
rest of the starting line-up with the most athletic of his team. Takeo  
Kumagami was on first base, the very friendly and enthusiastic rookie labor  
pilot for Unit One, Koichi Miyagi, was playing third, and in the outfield  
were the mop-haired Ueki Mashimo, the competent and efficient Yamane  
Seiroku, and Unit One's senior labor pilot Yuhki Watanabe.  
  
The SV2 retired the riot squad rather quickly in the first inning, with  
three strikeouts being dished out with the minimum number of pitches thanks  
to Kanuka. She was also the first one to bat, and looped a ball over the  
riot squad's infield to reach first base. Yuhki Watanabe was up next, but  
was startled by a brush-back pitch that nearly grazed his nose and played  
the rest of his at-bat overcautious. As it turned out, it didn't matter  
too much, since the pitcher walked him anyway. Next up was Takeo, who  
calmly and coolly stepped up to the bag and smiled as the pitcher through  
three strikes right past her for the first out.  
  
Next up was Seiroku, who snorted out of his once-broken nose as he  
approached the plate. The riot squad's catcher, seeing his opportunity,  
decided to try taunting him good-naturedly.  
  
"Your mother worked for Beach House!" he said, invoking the name of one of  
the most inept group of terrorists that plagued Japan.  
  
Seiroku sniffed. "So?" he said coolly, as the pitcher rose in his wind-up.  
The pitch came, Seiroku swung, and the ball went flying out of the park.   
Smirking calmly at the catcher, Seiroku took his bases, and the SV2 was up  
3-0.  
  
The riot squad captain, in his dugout, slammed his hand against the water  
fountain in frustration. "Dammit!" he growled.  
  
"Relax, Cap'n," one of his subordinates soothed. "We'll get those ones  
back."  
  
Noa, up next, grounded out to first, and Asuma quickly followed, bringing  
the inning to a close. The riot squad went up again, eager to try and  
rally, but once again Kanuka shut them down with three strikeouts- again,  
on the minimum nine pitches.  
  
This time at the plate, the SV2 didn't do quite so well. Ueki Mashimo hit  
a single, but Shinshi wasn't really ready for batting.  
  
'Oops,' he thought to himself as he struck out swinging. 'I should have  
spent some of that three hours with Ohta yesterday batting and not just  
catching....'  
  
Koichi Miyagi grounded into a double play, and the second inning was over.  
  
Once again, Kanuka was as methodical as ever, not letting her opponents  
even have a trace of mercy. To say this frustrated the riot squad captain  
didn't exactly do it justice. As his team left the dugout, he pulled his  
own pitcher aside to talk to him in secret.  
  
"We don't stand a chance while she's still pitching," the captain said,  
gesturing to Kanuka in the on-deck circle. "Hit her- hard. Knock her out  
of the game. It's the only way to win."  
  
The pitcher looked flustered. "Captain, you can't ask me to-"  
  
"Do YOU want to pay for these idiots' food?"  
  
"Of course not! But-"  
  
"Then this is the only way. Do it... that's an order."  
  
The pitcher looked tight-lipped for a moment before nodding slowly. He'd  
do as ordered. Besides, this was softball- there wasn't really any way he  
could hurt her seriously with a pitch, was there? The captain wasn't  
thinking straight- he'd see how ridiculous this was once the girl just  
shrugged off being hit by the ball. "Yes, sir."  
  
He stood up to the plate, and stared over at Kanuka as she waited, the bat  
slung over her shoulder. The pitcher regretted what he had to do- she  
looked kind of cute. Well, maybe when this was all over he could take her  
out for drinks, or offer to pay for her share of the dinners as an apology  
for what he was going to do. Well, no more time to worry about the  
consequences- it was time to pitch.  
  
His first pitch was wide to the outside. Best to let them think he was  
losing control of his pitches, so that it wouldn't seem so intentional.   
Kanuka smirked, and the pitcher took a deep breath. Wind-up, deliver....  
  
With a meaty thump, the ball crashed right into Kanuka's eye, knocking her  
down. The pitcher didn't need to fake horror at the strike- he hadn't mean  
to hit her nearly so hard, so when she fell, he let out a shocked gasp.  
  
"Ack- no! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he cried, running up to make sure she  
was okay. "Are you all right?"  
  
He was stopped when she sat up and glared at him out of one eye, barely  
restrained anger showing in her face. She slowly stood up and dusted  
herself off.  
  
'Hmm,' the pitcher thought to himself as he stumbled back to the mound. 'I  
don't think she's going to go for a make-up coffee.'  
  
Gotoh slowly strode his way from the dugout to home plate. "Can you still  
play?" he asked.  
  
Kanuka shook her head. "Not as a pitcher- I won't be able to see the plate  
clearly. I'll run the bases, but get Ohta warmed up."  
  
Gotoh sighed. "Do you think he's up to it?"  
  
Kanuka shrugged. "If he remembers that this is a softball game." Her good  
eye narrowed, directing itself at the Riot Squad's pitcher. "He did that  
intentionally."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "It wasn't his idea."  
  
Kanuka nodded, redirecting her gaze at the Riot Squad captain. "I know."  
  
*****  
  
Kanuka, at the direction of the umpire, walked over to first base. Yuhki  
walked up to the plate, remembering how he'd nearly been hit himself the  
first time up to the plate. He struck out despite the fact that the  
pitcher was rattled by his own pitch, too worried to get close enough to  
the plate.  
  
Kumagami walked up to the plate, and this time her calm smile was gone.   
The ball came in, and with a crack went back out. Unfortunately, it didn't  
quite go far enough- it was caught at the fence for another out.  
  
Seiroku was next up. He was calm as he waited for the pitch, and smacked  
the ball out of the park for his second home run of the game.  
  
Noa came up next. She was starting to get mad- after all, this had all  
started because she had wanted to have some fun playing catch with Asuma.   
Then everyone else had to butt in- which wasn't so bad, as long as it had  
been a friendly game. But then, her dinner out with Asuma had been  
interrupted by this stupid challenge that the Riot Squad had issued- they'd  
been forced to practice instead of going out. THEN this stupid pitcher,  
who was winding up to throw his next pitch, had hit a friend of hers... She  
was more than just mad, she was FURIOUS.  
  
*crack* Asuma gaped as the ball went flying out of the park. "Eep," he  
said, noting Noa's expression as she rounded the bases. This was more than  
just a game for her- this was getting personal. "Good shot," he said as  
she walked by.  
  
"Asuma," she said sternly as she walked by. "Remember not to strike out...  
or I'll be really mad at you."  
  
'Oh, yeah... she's pissed,' he thought as he stepped up to the plate. He'd  
never been good at sports- he figured he could do pretty well at shortstop,  
considering how often he and Noa had played catch while off duty over at  
SV2 Headquarters, but hitting was another matter. He slumped back, waited  
for the pitch, closed his eyes, and swung as hard as he could.  
  
His ball went soaring as well, ending up with another home run. As Asuma  
rounded the bases, he could tell that the pitcher still hadn't quite  
recovered from hitting Kanuka- something which the Riot Squad captain saw  
as well after the back-to-back-to-back home runs, as he called time out to  
change pitchers.  
  
Noa, however, didn't care why the pitch went so far- she was just glad that  
Asuma had listened to him about not striking out. When he got into the  
dugout, she grabbed him and gave him a kiss, not thinking about the danger  
of discovery.  
  
Once they realized what they were doing, however, they quickly broke apart  
and glanced around. Asuma noticed that only Gotoh could have seen them,  
and he wasn't looking at them. Of course, the captain might have just been  
pretending to have not seen anything, but Asuma couldn't be certain.  
  
Asuma coughed, and whispered into Noa's ear, "If we win, I'll make sure we  
can eat our dinner privately."  
  
Noa just beamed at him, saying nothing. They were now leading seven to  
nothing- even IF Kanuka was out, their lead was large enough that they  
could just coast through the rest of the game.  
  
*****  
  
The new pitcher for the riot squad proved to be coolly efficient, striking  
Ueki Mashimo and Shinshi out without any difficulties and bringing the Riot  
Squad up to the plate. As Ohta approached the mound, Asuma pulled him  
aside.  
  
"Remember, Ohta," Asuma noted, "This is SOFTBALL, not baseball. Throw  
underhand, not overhand."  
  
Ohta didn't say anything- he just nodded. After the three hour practice  
Shinshi put him through, he didn't want to risk throwing overhand. At  
least, he would at first. Use that overhand fastball for a surprise move-  
that was the key.  
  
Ohta threw a pitch and, for the first time, a member of the riot squad made  
contact with the ball, sneaking between first and second base and into the  
outfield, where Yuhki Watanabe picked it up and cut the runner off before  
he could advance the hit past a single.  
  
When Ohta got the ball back, he grimaced. That pitch didn't work as he had  
hoped. Gritting his teeth, he looked at the signal from Shinshi and  
nodded. Once again, he threw an underhand pitch... and once again, with a  
crack of the bat the riot squad players were running.  
  
The ball bounced in the direction of Asuma, who dove and grabbed it before  
it could get past him. "Noa!" he cried, tossing it straight to her from  
his back.  
  
Noa, in perfect co-ordination, caught his toss, tagged the bag with her  
foot, and fired the ball over to Takeo at first.  
  
In the dugout, one of the riot squad players whistled. "Nice double play,"  
he said. "Those three work well together."  
  
The riot squad captain nodded. "Next time someone's running into second  
base, take that girl down."  
  
The others looked at him in surprise. "What?"  
  
"You heard me- take her out. Slide into base with your cleats- spike her.   
If you can't do that, run into her and knock her down. Get rid of her- if  
you remove the linchpin of that group, the others will be will be  
weakened."  
  
"Captain, that's-" one of the officers started.  
  
"Are you considering disobeying my orders? If so, do you realize I could   
charge you with insubordination?" Silence answered him. "We are NOT   
going to lose this game to these incompetent fools, no matter what we have   
to do."  
  
The man at the bat (who had not heard the orders given by his captain) ALSO  
made contact with the ball, sending it flying into the outfield, between  
Ueki Mashimo and Yamane Seiroku. Both players sped towards the projectile,  
neither looking out for the other. In the middle of the field, they  
collided into each other and tumbled to the ground. Mashimo, struggling to  
disentangle himself, reached out and caught the ball before collapsing back  
into a heap.  
  
Seiroku jumped up, a scowl on his face directed at Ueki. The two  
outfielders made their way back to the dugout in silence, but when they got  
there, neither of them were particularly happy.  
  
As Koichi Miyagi walked up to the plate, Seiroku started blowing some steam  
off against Mashimo.  
  
"What do you think you were doing?" he ranted. "Don't you look where  
you're going?!"  
  
"Hey, it was my ball!" Mashimo shot back. "You should have been looking  
out for ME!"  
  
"I'm the center fielder! It's ALWAYS my ball, unless you call it!"  
  
"It was in right field! It's not your ball if it's in right field!"  
  
"It was NOT in right field!" Seiroku screamed. "Are you BLIND?"  
  
By this point, everyone in the dugout was staring at the bickering pair, so  
no-one noticed when Koichi struck out and Ohta went from the on-deck circle  
to the plate. Koichi approached at this point, smiling as usual, and  
looked around. "Hey, gang, what's up?" he asked.  
  
"Just shut up!" Ueki shouted, throwing a wild punch in the direction of  
Seiroku. The fist made impact against Seiroku's battered nose, splattering  
it across his face.  
  
Ueki paused, staring at Seiroku's ruined face, then at his bloody hand,  
then back at Seiroku's face, and gaped.  
  
"I. Can't. Believe. That. You. Broke. My. Nose. AGAIN!" Seiroku  
growled. "That's it! This time, I'm not going to just let you get away  
with this without answer!" Charging in, Seiroku started pounding on  
Mashimo, sending punch after punch into the other man. In self defense,  
Ueki started returning the attacks blow for blow.  
  
Even Gotoh was a little ruffled by the sudden outburst between the two  
officers. "Hey, break it up! That's an order!" he cried.  
  
The fighters didn't listen... until, that is, Hiromi came between them,  
picking each of them up by the back of the neck and pulling them apart. As  
the two of them were held in mid-air by the gentle giant, Gotoh came over  
and inspected the two of them.  
  
"Hmm. Bruises, torn uniforms, looks like at least one dislocated arm,  
and... if I'm not mistaken," Gotoh said, poking each of them in the ribs.   
Both Seiroku and Ueki shuddered. "Yep- rib injuries as well." He paused,  
contemplating what to say. "You do know that there are penalties for  
intentionally rendering yourself incapable of working, don't you?"  
  
"I beg your apologies, sir," Seiroku muttered.  
  
"Yeah, same here," Ueki said.  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "I accept, but you aren't going to have as easy a time  
apologizing to the people who it will really matter to- your captains. But  
in the meantime, you will have to go to get those injuries checked out."   
Gotoh turned away to inspect his bench players as Ohta returned after  
striking out. Pointing to two people at random, he said, "I don't know  
either of you, but you'll probably be best suited to playing in the  
outfield." Tazaki Hiroaki and Toru Sasaki, the commander car operators for  
Unit 1, both accepted their new roles with a simple nod. "Oh, yeah," Gotoh  
said as he turned his attention back to the game. "Hiromi, you can let  
them down now."  
  
*****  
  
With Ohta out, Yuhki Watanabe went up to the plate, and he, too, struck  
out. The two new players, together with the rest of the team, went out to  
the field and prepared to play defense.  
  
Once again, the first pitch towards the riot squad player was hit. It was  
popped up into center field, right where Tazaki Hiroaki was standing. He  
was so surprised that a ball was coming his way on his first play that he  
didn't move to catch the ball, and it fell a couple of feet in front of  
him. Quickly gathering his wits, Tazaki grabbed the bouncing ball and  
threw it as hard as he could to Noa, who tossed it to Asuma covering her  
spot on the second base bag. It didn't matter, though, because the person  
who hit the ball didn't even try to move past first.  
  
A scowl grew on Ohta's face, but he was determined not to make any  
mistakes. Once more, he threw underhand. Once more, he watched the ball  
bounce over his head. Asuma darted back, fielding the ball behind Noa and  
tossing it to her. She caught the ball, tagged the bag, turned...  
  
And was plowed over by the runner coming from first. In addition to being  
knocked over, she was stepped on by the riot squad player's cleeted shoes,  
sending several small spike wounds into her back.  
  
"NOA!" Asuma cried, running over to her and picking her up, cradling her in  
his arms. "Noa, are you all right?"  
  
"My back!" she whimpered. "Aagh! It hurts... Asuma, it hurts."  
  
Asuma grimaced. Only now did he notice the cuts in her back, as blood  
started dripping over his hands. "Damn," he cursed. Gotoh and the rest of  
the team ran up.  
  
"Noa, are you okay?" Gotoh asked. When she didn't answer, he turned to  
Asuma. "Is she okay?"  
  
Asuma shook his head. "She's bleeding... Captain, request permission to  
take her to be examined."  
  
Gotoh half-smirked and nodded. "Of course, Shinohara. Attend to her well.  
I'll just have to find a replacement for you."  
  
Asuma, carrying Noa in a classic damsel-in-distress pose, hurried away as  
Gotoh returned to the dugout to find a couple of replacements. "Ishikawa,  
Kawai, go on out there."  
  
Natsume Kawai and Joudo Ishikawa nodded. As they trotted out to the field,  
Natsume whispered to Joudo, "Um, what am I supposed to do? I've never  
played this game before."  
  
"Urk!" Joudo squawked. "Um, okay, first, you need to stand by that bag  
over there... when the ball comes you direction, you..."  
  
*****  
  
Joudo finished his crash course in softball as the two of them walked up to  
their positions, and the game was underway again. The end results of the  
play that injured Noa was an out, but there was still a man on first base  
to deal with.  
  
So, in order to get past the inning, the SV2 had to make two more outs...  
AND contend with Ohta, who by that point had blown his top.  
  
'All right,' he thought to himself. 'These little "underhand" pitches are  
getting me nowhere- I'm going to throw a REAL fastball!'  
  
And so he did. It was perfectly straight, perfectly on target- and  
perfectly illegal.  
  
"That's an illegal pitch!" the umpire shouted.  
  
Ohta ran up to him, and would have confronted him directly if Shinshi  
hadn't stepped in his way.  
  
"It IS a legal pitch!" Ohta barked. "A fastball's a legal pitch!"  
  
"This is SOFTBALL! A fastball's only legal if you can throw it underhand!"  
  
"What does it matter? We're police officers- we should always be expecting  
the unexpected!"  
  
"THIS IS A SOFTBALL GAME! WHETHER YOU'RE A POLICE OFFICER OR NOT DOESN'T  
MATTER!" the umpire cried.  
  
"Help," Shinshi, now crushed between the two of them, whimpered painfully.  
  
*****  
  
Ohta managed NOT to be ejected, but in the process the batter was to first  
and Shinshi was so battered that he had to be carried off on a stretcher.   
Gotoh sent in the biggest target possible- Hiromi. In fact, Hiromi was so  
big that the umpire couldn't see around him, so when (the now emotionally  
contained- sort of) Ohta tossed in his next pitch a bit outside, the umpire  
couldn't exactly tell what to call it.  
  
"Uh... um... strike one?"  
  
The game continued, and Ohta actually managed to strike out the batter.   
When the next one came up, however, a crack of the bat cleared the bases  
with a home run. The final batter of the inning popped out to Koichi  
Miyagi, and the SV2 came back up to the plate.  
  
Takeo Kumagami was the first batter, and she had words for the catcher,  
opening her mouth for the first time since the game started. "You know, I  
wasn't taking this game very seriously," she noted. "Not until you started  
intentionally hurting our people. And then, of all things, you hurt Noa in  
front of her boyfriend- which really ticks me off, because those two have  
something really rare. Something I wish I had. And that shouldn't be  
hurt, no matter what. And yet, you did."   
  
She slung her bat over her shoulder. The pitch came in, and Takeo smacked  
it out of the park. "I'm going to start trying to win, now," she noted as  
she set down the bat before making her way around the bases.  
  
Toru Sasaki, the grizzled old veteran who had taken over one of the  
outfield positions when Seiroku and Ueki Mashimo left the game, stood into  
the plate next. He smacked the ball off into right field, but was unable  
to run fast enough to beat the throw to first base, and was called out.  
  
Following Toru was Noa and Asuma's replacements, Joudo Ishikawa and Natsume  
Kawai. Joudo grounded out on his first pitch, and then Natsume came up to  
the plate.  
  
"Um... I've never played this game before," she said to the catcher. "What  
am I supposed to do?"  
  
The catcher smirked. This was too easy. "Don't worry, sugar," he said  
flirtatiously. "This is all you have to do- when you see the ball coming,  
close your eyes and swing your bat against the plate."  
  
Natsume frowned. "That doesn't sound like what the others were doing...."  
  
"What, you don't trust me?" the catcher whimpered, trying to get that  
puppy-dog look on his face.  
  
"No, I don't mean that!" Natsume assured. "I believe you! Don't be  
upset!"  
  
"I won't. Now, are you ready to play?" he said. Natsume nodded, the curls  
of her hair bobbing in acknowledgment. 'Like taking candy from a baby,' he  
thought as he put on his mask.  
  
The ball came in, Natsume closed her eyes, and *bam*.  
  
"Ow," the catcher said, as he removed the bat from the back of his head.  
  
Natsume looked deeply apologetic. "I'm sorry- I couldn't see with my eyes  
closed, and so I missed the plate, and..."  
  
The catcher wasn't in any position to reply.  
  
*****  
  
After the riot squad changed catchers (and Joudo snuck up to give Natsume a  
more correct version of how to act when a hitter), the game resumed.   
Natsume actually got a bat on the ball- to hit a couple of fouls. Finally,  
though, she struck out, and the game went on.  
  
The SV2's luck ran out the next inning. Several balls skipped past Natsume  
Kawai or over the reach of Joudo Ishikawa. Several balls hit to the  
outfield were fumbled by Tazaki Hiroaki or could not be reached by the  
slow-moving Toru Sasaki. Ohta was able to manage one strikeout, and  
Kumagami was able to stop a ground ball and run to the bag to get another  
out on her own, but six runs scored before the last out could be made- and  
that last out a difficult one, as well.  
  
Finally, though, Joudo was able to field a ground ball, and toss it to  
first- off balance, but he made it just in time for the out to be called.  
  
"Good play, Joudo!" his teammates called, but their voices were a little  
dispirited. They were now losing, eight to nine.  
  
The opposing captain, however, was grimly satisfied. "Okay, men- we're now  
in the lead. Make sure we stay that way- I don't care WHAT you have to do,  
got it?" His team knew better than to question him, that time.  
  
Tazaki Hiroaki was the first one up. He went down rather quickly, swinging  
wildly and popping up a foul ball that the catcher caught. Hiromi was  
next, looking a little too large for the bat he was carrying.  
  
The first pitch came in right down the middle, hitting the catcher's mitt  
dead on. "Ball one!" The umpire cried.  
  
The pitcher didn't believe it. "Ball? How can you call that a ball- it  
was a perfect pitch!"  
  
"It was low- it needs to get at least as high as the hitters knees!"  
  
"Are you kidding? His knees are taller than my catcher!"  
  
"Sorry, but I can't help that- the rules say-"  
  
"Fine!" the pitcher growled. With that, he wound up and threw his next  
pitch... which went soaring over the catcher and clonked the umpire,  
knocking him over.  
  
"That was intentional!" the umpire growled, standing up with a hand on the  
lump that was forming on his head. "You're out of the game!"  
  
The pitcher's eyes widened. "WHAT? You're throwing me out?! For what?"  
  
"For hitting me on the head with a softball- what do you think?"  
  
The pitcher couldn't reply to that.  
  
*****  
  
The new pitcher decided it wasn't worth trying to get Hiromi out after the  
debacle with the last pitcher, and so just walked him intentionally.   
Koichi Miyagi, who had yet to lose his smile since the game began, came up  
next. The new pitcher hadn't yet gotten control of his pitches, however,  
and walked him. Then Ohta came to the plate, but he was a bit too  
enthusiastic. Believing he had to give the team the lead himself, he swung  
for a home run at every pitch, even those that would not have been strikes,  
and so was quickly struck out.  
  
Yuhki Watanabe was up next, and for once he actually wasn't nervous.   
Swinging heartily, he hit a nice ball into the outfield. He rounded first  
and started to second, but couldn't go on because there were people in  
front of him. Koichi Miyagi, rounding second, was tripped up by the  
shortstop. He stumbled up, and limped back to second Hiromi made it home  
for the tying run. Gotoh walked out to first base to talk to Koichi.  
  
"How's your leg?"  
  
"Hurt, sir... I don't think I'll be able to run around the bases."  
  
Gotoh nodded, and singled to the dugout. Yoshi Tobe, the transport driver  
for unit three with a pleasant disposition and a scar over his left eye,  
ran out and took Koichi's place while Gotoh helped him off the field.  
  
Kumagami came up next. The catcher, remembering her threat from the  
previous time she'd come up to bat, intentionally walked her. The next  
person due up was Toru Sasaki, the oldest and slowest member of the team.   
Gotoh, sighing, grabbed a bat and a helmet. "Sasaki, sit down. I'm going  
up to hit, myself."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Gotoh smirked. "I'm a player-coach this game. We didn't have enough  
people on the bench for my comfort, considering he had fifty to choose  
from, so I made myself eligible to play. Since I was the only person left  
on the bench, I figured I'd go up to bat."  
  
Seated on the bench, the very non-descript Kenji Iguchi wondered why Gotoh  
had completely forgotten about him. Then he remembered he wasn't ever  
remembered by anyone, including the author of this fanfic when he was  
plotting all of this, and decided to remain quiet and sit right where he  
was.  
  
Gotoh stood at the bat, slung the bat over his shoulder, crouched down, and  
looked into the pitchers eyes. The pitcher glanced in to see the catcher's  
sign, and caught the look Gotoh was giving him. He froze, hesitating.   
There was a power in those eyes- something he couldn't quite explain. It  
was something that caused the hair to stand up on the back of his head, and  
made him fear throwing that pitch... he wasn't quite sure what to do.  
  
"Pitch the ball," Gotoh said, calmly and evenly.  
  
The pitcher could hardly refuse a request like that, and reached back to  
pitch the ball.  
  
With the bases loaded, two outs, and a tie game, the ball soared in. Gotoh  
eyed its trajectory, pulled back with the bat...  
  
And dropped it when his cell phone rang, letting the ball pass by for  
strike one.  
  
Turning to the surprised umpire, Gotoh pulled out his cell phone. "Um,  
time out- I need to answer this." Flipping open the phone, he said, "Gotoh  
here... Ah, Shinobu! Why didn't you come to the game? Oh... ah... uh  
huh... well, okay, we'll be there in an hour." Closing his phone, he  
sighed. "I'm afraid we'll have to end this little match- duty calls."  
  
The referees and all the players from BOTH sides collapsed, not believing  
that the whole game was for nothing. The riot squad's captain, however,  
was furious. Charging up to Gotoh, he growled, "So, you forfeit?"  
  
Gotoh shook his head. "Why should I forfeit? This is no different from  
what would happen if it had rained. It's beyond the control of either of  
us. Furthermore, the score it tied right now, so neither of us would win."  
  
"Then when do you want to schedule a rematch?" the captain growled.  
  
Gotoh's eyes hardened. "I won't."  
  
"What?"  
  
Finally, Gotoh exploded. "You idiot! This was just a stupid game, and yet  
you crippled half of a police unit to win it! I'm not going to risk my  
people's necks just because you want to prove yourself, damn it! Now,  
excuse us, we have a job to do."  
  
The members of the SV2 followed Gotoh out, looking at him with shock at his  
furious explosion. The members of the riot squad, on the other hand,  
looked at their captain with something very different- contempt.  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: With the second and third unit largely decimated by the  
softball game and Gotoh actually taking the day off for a change, the SV2  
is temporarily reorganized back into two units, one under Shinobu and the  
other under Gomioka. Shinobu's shift is rather lonely without either Gotoh  
or Gomioka around... what does she do when no-one else is there?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  
  



	11. Episode 11: Daily Relief

  
Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 11: Daily Relief  
January 28, 2000  
(Ya know, I'm beginning to regret having put dates in this fic... oh, well.  
This fanfic is set in a universe where the Y2K problem really existed,  
where labors run rampant, and where you can have three new years  
celebrations in 1999... well, you get the idea)  
  
Shinobu and Gomioka both stood up as Gotoh returned to the hospital's  
waiting room.  
  
"How are they?" Shinobu asked.  
  
Gotoh sighed. "Mashimo and Seiroku will both be out of action for three to  
five days, at least- and that's only if they take a lot of bed rest. Noa  
is worse off- she had to have surgery for a punctured colon. She'll be out  
for more than a month recuperating, and then light duty only when she gets  
back. Koichi Miyagi can only have very light duties for the next few days,  
and nothing that'll put any stress on his leg. Shinshi will be fine by  
tomorrow, but the doctors said he had a concussion earlier in the week that  
should have treated than, and have advised bed rest. That means we have  
six people out of major action for the next week or so."  
  
Shinobu raised an eyebrow. "Six?"  
  
Gotoh nodded. "For some reason, Shinohara suddenly asked to take a lot of  
leave he had been saving up. Considering we would be down two labor crews  
regardless of his being on the station or not, I figured it wouldn't do any  
harm to grant his request."  
  
"I knew that stupid bet of yours was a terrible idea," Gomioka grumbled.   
"Now look at us- we're down a whole labor team! And for what? For some  
silly grudge match between you and a captain from the riot squad?   
Disgraceful."  
  
Gotoh shrugged off the near insult. "At any rate, we're going to need to  
reorganize the SV2 until things get more closer to normal."  
  
"Most of the injuries were to your two units," Shinobu noted, "But I do  
need a transport driver for my second team since Mashimo was injured."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Since both Izumi and Shinohara are unavailable, I'll lend  
you Hiromi. He's our best driver, and his size makes him rather  
intimidating."  
  
Shinobu nodded happily. "Thanks," she said.  
  
"By the way, do you happen to know what happened between Seiroku and  
Mashimo to set them off on one another like that? Beyond the events in the  
game, I mean."  
  
Shinobu frowned. "I'm not entirely sure. I believe it has something to do  
with one of them ratting out the other for having something they weren't  
supposed to in their cabin- something alchoholic, probably, though I don't  
know for sure. Whichever one it was who got turned it found out about it,  
and the confrontation that followed resulted in a pretty nasty fight. That  
was how Seiroku's nose got broken the first time. Then, there was a  
training incident where Ueki accidentally hit the same nose with a pugil  
stick, and then the martial arts training where Ueki threw Seiroku onto the  
ground face first, breaking his nose, and then... well, you get the  
picture."  
  
"Indeed," Gotoh said. "Well, at any rate, Gomioka and I still need to  
reorganize our teams. I suggest we use Kumagami to take Seiroku's place in  
Ohta's unit, and Kenji to take the command car for Joudo's labor. That  
means that we're back down to having two units, but we have two captains  
for them. Say, Captain Gomioka, how would you like to take today's shift  
at captain, and we'll alternate days until we can return to three units  
again?"  
  
Gomioka was caught a little off guard. Gotoh and Shinobu were both acting  
rather unconcerned with the situation, considering... of course, there had  
been several times where the second unit- or part of it- had been knocked  
out of action for several days in the past- the first Griffin incident  
which lead to Asuma and Takeo both being hospitalized for the entire  
action, the time food poisoning took down not just most of the labor  
operators in the second unit, but the entire mechanics squad as well, and  
various incidents where one or both labors were rendered inoperable for a  
period of time.  
  
It was when Gomioka had come to the realization that temporary  
reorganizations were a commonplace thing in captains lives that Gotoh  
posed his question, and so Gomioka was unprepared for it.  
  
"Yes, sir," he replied automatically, not thinking.  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Good. If you and Captain Nagumo will excuse me, I want to  
go home for the day. I'll take over for you tomorrow."  
  
Shinobu was shocked. He usually spent every minute either on duty or  
trying to hang around her- even if it meant staying on base when on duty.   
There were times Shinobu wondered if Gotoh even had a home of his own, or  
if he lived on base- for him to be leaving was downright un-natural to her.  
  
"Gotoh? What are you going to be doing? If you don't mind my asking, that  
is...."  
  
Gotoh grabbed his coat from the chair and started out the door. "My niece  
is in town for the week... I thought it might be nice to visit her while  
she's here, considering she IS staying at my place."  
  
"Have fun," she said as the door shut behind him. She stared at it for  
several moments, wondering why she hadn't heard about his niece being in  
town before. Several long moments.  
  
"Shinobu, are you listening?" Gomioka asked.  
  
That started her out of her reverie. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"  
  
"Do you want to take the first shift or the second today?"  
  
"Oh... first. Go and get some sleep, but do so in the dorm rooms. With  
just two units, you're on standby today."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am!" Gomioka cried, saluting. Shinobu didn't even notice as her  
attention was once more on the door that Captain Gotoh had gone out of.  
  
'What is he up to?' she wondered. His behavior was so uncharacteristic of  
him he MUST be doing something- after all, he didn't get the name of 'Razor  
Blade' Gotoh for nothing- but what was it? And why didn't he want to ask  
her about it?  
  
*****  
  
"Uncle Gotoh!" the teenage girl cried as her uncle came through the door.   
"I didn't think you'd be able to visit!"  
  
Gotoh smiled. "Well, I still might want to talk to Shinobu again later  
today, but I figured I shouldn't miss a chance to talk to you while you  
were in town. So, how has life been since that little training prank we  
pulled together on my unit?"  
  
"I got accepted to all my colleges, Uncle Gotoh! I could even go to the  
police academy, if I wanted!"  
  
Gotoh smiled. "That's great! Let's celebrate. Where do you want to go  
out to eat?"  
  
*****  
  
Noa blinked open her eyes to see Asuma sitting at her bedside.  
  
"Ack! What are you doing here?!" she screeched, trying weakly to pull the  
blankets up to cover her nightclothes... only to discover she wasn't  
wearing her usual pajamas, but a hospital gown. Which was probably worse,  
but once she realized she was in the hospital she calmed down and  
remembered he was probably just worrying about her.  
  
Asuma looked a little annoyed at being yelled at. "Well, I figured you  
might want someone here when you woke up to tell you what was going on. I  
took some leave time to keep you company for the next few days as well...  
but it's not too late for me to cancel it if you don't want me around."  
  
Noa glared at him. "Of course I want you around- I want company, and I  
want that company to be my boyfriend. So, how long until I can use  
Alphonse again?"  
  
Asuma squirmed uncomfortably. Noa calling him her 'boyfriend' so  
blatently, while not unpleasant, made him feel rather uneasy- as if he  
wasn't entirely sure what he was getting into, and wasn't entirely sure if  
he'd like it or not. Still, he wasn't going to stop her from doing so...  
well, not unless there was a chance one of their co-workers might overhear.  
  
"Sorry, Noa... you had to get surgery to repair a punctured colon. The  
wounds themselves weren't really that severe, but since you had to go under  
anesthesia and get stitches you are out of action for a while. No police  
work- which means no Alphonse- for a month. Then, only light duty- which  
STILL means no Alphonse- until you receive medical clearance... and they  
won't give you that until at least two weeks after you get back on duty-  
that's a policy I was told about when my ribs got busted."  
  
"Six weeks without Alphonse?" Noa cried weakly, distressed.  
  
Asuma sighed- he hadn't wanted to tell her that. "I'll see if I can  
arrange for you to visit him when you're back on your feet, but that won't  
be for a while yet." He hesitated. "I can try to take his place while you  
can't see him, though- I'll still be here."  
  
Noa smiled tiredly- she was still feeling the effects of the drugs they had  
used to put her under. "That's sweet, Asuma... but no. Alphonse fills a  
part of my heart you don't... but then again, you fill a part of my heart  
he can't."  
  
Asuma almost asked her what she meant by that, but then he noticed she'd  
fallen asleep as she said it.  
  
*****  
  
Shinobu sighed, relaxing into her chair. All of her paperwork for the next  
five weeks had been completed, there had been no calls, and there wasn't  
anyone around flirting with- er, bugging her. She'd tried to puzzle out  
what Gotoh was doing, but she didn't have enough evidence to even start  
investigating... though she was fairly certain visiting his niece had nothing  
to do with it. She had called his house the moment she could and found  
that niether he NOR his niece were there.  
  
The other person she might talk to, Gomioka, was asleep... and she could  
tell he needed it. Shinobu wasn't too sure about him, any more. She'd  
been certain that he would be a good captain when she recommended his  
promotion, but it appeared at times the job was getting too stressful for  
him. There was certainly no reason for him to jump on Gotoh about the  
softball game- it was supposed to be just a friendly contest, not the near  
bloodfest it became. There was certainly no way of knowing that the riot  
squad captain was actually willing to injure fellow police officers to win  
some stupid game.  
  
That wasn't the only thing that made her wonder- she had dismissed the  
fears Gomioka had expressed about his leadership ability the other day as  
rookie mistakes, but in truth Gomioka was having a very poor success rate  
with his men. Perhaps she should ask Gotoh to take over the temporary  
combined unit for the rest of the week, and give Gomioka some extra time  
off to relieve some of his stress. She knew it didn't help that his  
marriage was in trouble- a week off might be enough time for him to work  
that out, at least. Then again, knowing what a workaholic Gomioka was,  
he'd never go for it.  
  
Shinobu distracted herself from her thoughts with a loud yawn. 'Hmm, I'm  
getting awfully tired,' she thought to herself, stretching. 'Usually,  
though, there's a lot more to do during the day... I wish Gotoh was here-  
or at least that he would call like he usually does when he isn't in the  
office. Then at least I'd have the challenge of fending off his advances.'  
  
Sighing, she stood up and walked over to her personal mailbox, checking to  
see if anything new had come in for her since the previous night. Finding  
a small stack of letters, she pulled it out and headed back over to her  
desk.  
  
"Hmm," she said to herself, "Let's see what we've got.... Junk, junk,  
junk, bill, postcard, bill.... Wait, postcard?" Checking the address on  
the back, she blinked. "Tsuge Yukihito? Why, I haven't heard from him  
since he left on that mission for the U.N. several months ago! I wonder  
what he has to say?"  
  
Tsuge Yukihito had been an instructor of hers at the academy... and a  
little bit more in her personal life. Things had gotten rather...  
intimate... between them for a while. After she'd gotten command of her  
own unit, however, their rendezvous became fewer and fewer. At some point-  
shortly after Gotoh had been transferred into the SV2 to become her XO- she  
had realized that they'd drifted apart completely. They still communicated  
by mail frequently, but they hadn't seen each other in more than a year.  
  
At times, Shinobu wondered if the timing of that realization had been a  
coincidence... but it wasn't that she was no longer in love with Tsuge.   
She was. It was that he wasn't around any more.  
  
Of course, that might have been it. Tsuge was unavailable, and Gotoh was.   
While she loved Tsuge, she couldn't deny being at least a LITTLE attracted  
to her fellow captain. It would never work out between her and Gotoh,  
though- he was too much of a slob, and Tsuge was still number one in her  
heart. Well, maybe not NEVER work out, but it would take a while.  
  
Smiling fondly to herself, Shinobu started reading the letter on the back  
of the card.  
  
"Shinobu, my Love," it began.  
"I am not entirely certain what I can and what I can't tell you. Suffice  
to say, however, that as much as I care about you, this will be the last  
time I will ever talk to you or send you any sort of letter. I am very  
sorry. However, I will leave you with one thought of comfort- here is a  
poem I have composed, which should explain things better than I could say  
them...."  
  
Shinobu stopped reading right there. "What?" she gasped. "Why?" She  
tried to read on, but the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes made  
that impossible.  
  
It was probably inevitable that one of them would have said it, but she was  
still unprepared for it. Obviously, he had also realized that they were  
over, and was breaking all ties. A real break up, instead of the simple  
seperation they had been living under.  
  
'Why?' Shinobu thought to herself. 'I loved him, and now he isn't even  
going to talk to me again....'  
  
*****  
  
Gotoh smiled at his niece. "Well, were do you want to go next?"  
  
His niece seemed to consider the question for a bit. "Hmm... I think I'd  
like to go see where you work... I mean, I may go to the police academy,  
and if I do I might wind up involved with labors. Shouldn't I see what it  
is I'd be getting myself into?"  
  
Gotoh seemed a little surprised. "Of course... in fact, while we're on our  
way there, why don't we stop by police headquarters and I can introduce you  
to a few friends of mine. They should give you a better example of what  
life in the police is like..."  
  
*****  
  
A few hours later, Gotoh and his niece were walking through the halls of  
the SV2 Barracks.  
  
"...met Shinobu before, but that was when we were on the campus," Gotoh was  
saying. "Now you'll meet her in her professional environment, just like  
you met Inspector Matsui in his."  
  
His niece laughed. "Matsui was funny... how can someone so fat be a good  
field officer?"  
  
"You'd be surprised," Gotoh replied, opening the door to his office and  
looking in.  
  
Shinobu was slumped down into his chair, a now empty bottle of whiskey  
stolen from his file cabinet clutched protectively in her hands, her  
uniform jacket and vest removed, her shirt top loosened, and tears dripping  
down her face.  
  
Gotoh closed the door before his niece could see. "On second thought,  
Shinobu is rather busy and doesn't look like she could talk to you right  
now. Why don't you go talk to Sakaki of the maintenance squad, four doors  
down on your right. I'll go see if I can help her out...."  
  
His niece blinked. She knew her uncle well enough to know something was  
behind that door that he DIDN'T want her knowing about. "Um, okay, Uncle  
Gotoh," she agreed, running off down the hall. When she disappeared into  
Chief Sakaki's office, Gotoh reopened the door and went in.  
  
"Ah, Gotoh!" Shinobu slurred. "I thought that was you just a moment ago...  
or was it a while ago? Oh, whatever... glad you're here."  
  
Gotoh was concerned to say the least. As quickly as he dared, he moved to  
her side. "Shinobu, what's wrong? Why did you, er..."  
  
"Why am I as drunk as a skunk?" Shinobu finished for him. "'Cause I let  
him slip through my fingers."  
  
Gotoh blinked. "'Him?' 'Him' who?"  
  
Shinobu shook her head drunkenly. "It doesn't matter anymore- he doesn't  
want to ever talk to me again. I mean, I knew it was over, but I always  
thought it would never REALLY be over, you know?"  
  
"I... don't understand," Gotoh said.  
  
Shinobu reached up and patted him on the cheek. "Don't worry,  
'Razorblade.' I won't let it get out that you don't know everything."  
  
"Er, thank you," Gotoh said, trying to keep himself from peaking down her  
unbuttoned shirt. "Um... how'd you know I keep my booze in that cabinet?"  
  
Shinobu laughed. "Are you kidding? After working with you as long as I  
have, I'd be a TERRIBLE cop if I didn't know a few of your secrets. Just  
like I know you bet on horse races and give your unit free beer despite  
regulations against it...."  
  
"Er, well, that isn't really that much of a secret," Gotoh noted.  
  
"And you know what?" Shinobu continued, apparently not hearing. "I don't  
care about it, I don't care if you drink when you shouldn't, I don't care  
if you gamble, I don't care if you're a slob...." Reaching up, she grabbed  
him by his lapels and pulled him down to look at him face to face. "All I  
care about is that I can talk to you when I want to, okay? That's it."   
With that, she pulled him even closer and kissed him fiercely. Gotoh was  
so shocked that he didn't know what to do.  
  
It was then that Chief Sakaki walked in. "Gotoh, why did you tell that  
niece of yours to talk to... er, excuse me. I think I'll give her a guided  
tour of the facilities for a while, okay?" Quickly, the door shut behind  
him.  
  
His quick exit didn't matter, though. The mood was broken, and Gotoh had  
enough time to recover from the kiss and step back for a moment, to think  
about how he should deal with all of this.  
  
"Shinobu, stop... this isn't the way I want this to happen," he said. "Not  
when you're drunk- not when you aren't in control of yourself. Not on the  
rebound."  
  
"I lost him because I didn't hold onto him tightly enough... you aren't  
him, but you're all I've got right now, and I'm gonna hold tight onto you  
enough to not lose you ever."  
  
She was, in fact, holding on to him rather tightly... his shoulders, where  
she was clenched onto with a vice-like grip, were starting to hurt rather  
badly. Not that Gotoh cared at the moment.  
  
"Shinobu, you aren't going to lose me. Go ahead and hold on, if you like,  
but don't do it like this- you're drunk, and not in control of yourself,  
and depressed." Gotoh paused. "Well, you're not in control of yourself  
and depressed. I might not have any objection if you were just drunk...."  
  
Shinobu laughed, sliding out of the chair to hang over him. "That's  
probably why I like you so much- you can always keep your sense of humor  
going no matter how bad the situation is. Well, that and I know you aren't  
going anywhere... not like SOME people I've loved...."  
  
Gotoh sighed. "Shinobu, please... I'm having a hard enough time resisting  
you, do you have to hang over me like this?"  
  
Shinobu sniffed, not quite able to cling onto him like she'd planned and  
falling a little. "I'm a little upset you're able to resist me at all! I  
thought you liked me?"  
  
"I more than like you, Shinobu," Gotoh said, catching her before she  
slumped to the ground. "That's why I'm resisting you."  
  
Shinobu didn't say anything in reply- she had passed out after standing up  
too quickly.  
  
Looking at her silently for a moment, Gotoh picked her up and carried her  
into his personal office, where he had a cot set up. He didn't want to  
carry her through the hallways and let her crews see her passed out, drunk.  
Setting her on the bed carefully, he covered her with a blanket, and  
stared at her for a moment.  
  
"Hmm," he said to himself. "Looks like I'm gonna have part of a duty shift  
today, after all."  
  
*****  
  
Gomioka stepped into the office when his shift arrived, feeling more  
relaxed then he had been in a while. He had no Gotoh to deal with, which  
meant he'd be having a MUCH better day than normal.  
  
"I'm ready to take over, Captain Nagumo," he said, not looking at the duty  
desk.  
  
"Go ahead- I'm just finishing up some personal paperwork," Gotoh replied,  
looking curiously at a postcard. "Shinobu's asleep on the cot in my  
personal study- she was exhausted when I showed up to visit with my niece,  
and I suggested I take over for her until your shift came up."  
  
"Hi!" the afforementioned niece said, waving. "So you're the new captain.   
I'm thinking of joining the police academy, and may even decide to transfer  
here when I graduate. Who knows- you might become my commanding officer  
one day."  
  
'Great,' Gomioka thought to himself. 'Now his FAMILY intends to haunt me  
for the rest of my career.'  
  
"Well, we're going home," Gotoh said, picking up his coat and setting the  
postcard on Shinobu's desk. "I'll be here to relieve you for standby duty  
tomorrow."  
  
"Carry on," Gomioka said.  
  
Gotoh and his niece went out the door, leaving behind a mess on Gotoh's  
desk.  
  
"Bah... does he EVER clean up after himself?" He walked over to clean up  
the mess, and noticed a bit of orange cloth. Curious, he picked that up  
first.  
  
"Shinobu's vest? What's that doing at Gotoh's desk?"  
  
For some reason, Gomioka started feeling even MORE jealous than he had been  
before.  
  
January 29, 2000  
  
Gotoh walked into the office. "Here to relieve you for standby duty, Mr.  
Gomioka. Carry on."  
  
Gomioka, the disciplinarian that he was, saluted. "Captain Nagumo has yet  
to be awakened. I should take care of that before I go."  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "Nah- don't bother. I'll do that."  
  
Gomioka grimaced. Letting Gotoh have that opportunity was NOT a good thing  
in his book- especially if things he really hoped hadn't happened the  
previous day HAD actually happened, but he didn't have much say in the  
matter. "Very well... I'll relieve you tomorrow."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "I'll probably be on base even when I'm off duty. I've got  
a lot of paperwork to catch up on."  
  
Gomioka stormed out the door, not even bothering to acknowledge Gotoh's  
announcement.  
  
"Huh... I wonder what's wrong with him." Gotoh set his jacket on the chair  
behind his desk and then stepped on into his personal office. Shinobu was  
sleeping in his cot, her clothes ruffled badly, drool coming out of one  
side of her mouth. Gotoh pulled out some equipment he had on hand and  
perked up some coffee before going over to wake him up.  
  
"Shinobu? Shinobu, wake up. Shinobu...."  
  
"Ugh!" Shinobu grimaced, sitting up slowly. "What hit me?"  
  
"Some cheap American rotgut whiskey. Nasty stuff to be drinking if you're  
not used to it."  
  
Shinobu winced, trying to open her eyes. "I got drunk?"  
  
Gotoh shoved a cup of black coffee into her hand. "Yep. Pretty badly,  
too."  
  
Shinobu frowned. "How did that happen?"  
  
"Something about a letter on a postcard, I believe. Um, you wouldn't  
happen to remember anything you did last night, do you?"  
  
Shinobu finally managed to open one bloodshot eye, glaring up at him.   
"Why? I didn't embarass myself, did I?"  
  
Gotoh coughed. "Well, actually..."  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
"You kissed me."  
  
That got the other eye open. "You didn't take advantage of my being drunk,  
did you?" she growled angrilly.  
  
Gotoh shook his head. "Like I said last night, you were drunk, out of  
control, and depressed. I might take advantage of you when you were drunk,  
but not unless you were both in control and as happy as you could be."  
  
Suddenly, that phrase triggered a partial memory of the previous night.   
"Er... it never happened, got it? And it won't ever happen again,  
understand?"  
  
Gotoh nodded. "I know better than to argue with a woman with a hangover."  
  
Shinobu nodded, wincing her eyes closed again as the pain from her head  
(and her stomach) overwhelmed her. "But promise me you won't stop trying,  
okay? Things get pretty boring when you aren't around here, bugging me."  
  
Gotoh blinked at her in surprise. Maybe not all of last night was due to  
the whiskey. "Like I said, I know better than to argue with a woman with a  
hangover."  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: Unit 3's new labors finally arrive! There may be one last  
mission for the old ones, however.... And now that Kanuka is part of the  
team, will she or Seiroku be the unofficial 'third pilot'?  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  
  



	12. Episode 12: Last Battle of the Ancient W...

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 12: Last Battle of the Ancient Warriors  
February 15, 2000  
  
Gomioka REALLY needed this meeting- he had to get his mind off of the  
previous day. Valentine's day. Perhaps the most humiliating day of his  
life.  
  
As was custom in Japan, most of the women had bought chocolates for all the  
men in their lives- their lovers, their co-workers, and their bosses.   
Natsume Kawai from the second unit had hand-delivered a small box of  
chocolate to everyone in the mechanics division, including Chief Sakaki,  
before giving out more chocolates to Captain Gotoh and all the male members  
of the 2nd Unit. Takeo Kumagami followed suit, delivering small chocolates  
to Hiromi, Asuma, and Joudo before delivering a slightly larger chocolate  
to her captain.  
  
Noa had shown up to deliver chocolates as well. Asuma had been with her at  
the hospital (officially taking 'personal leave,' and trying to convince  
people that he WASN'T hanging by Izumi's side night and day), but that day  
he'd been given permission to take her onto the base to visit friends,  
'provided she not engage in any work' and that she be confined to a  
wheelchair. Asuma saved a much needed day of leave by officially being on  
call, but his duties that day consisted of pushing Noa around in a  
wheelchair. That was how he got the chocolates from Takeo and Natsume- the  
matching chocolate stains on their lips when Noa arrived told everyone who  
wasn't completely oblivious to what the two were doing that they'd decided  
to share the chocolate Noa had given him earlier.  
  
Shinobu delivered her own chocolates to everyone in her unit- there were no  
other females in first unit, for some reason. She also gave one to Gotoh,  
as well- though not to him. Her official excuse for having one to give to  
Gotoh was that she'd accidentally bought one too many, but Gomioka had to  
wonder. He had his suspicions about what had happened that night about two  
weeks previous, and the hesitant- almost guilty- way the two had been  
treating each other since that night seemed to confirm it, but Gomioka  
hoped he was wrong. In fact, he fervently wished he was wrong. He  
couldn't think of how to find out, however.  
  
Even Kanuka, despite being an American by birth, followed the Japanese  
varient of the Valentine tradition... sort of. Chocolates from her went  
around to the various people she'd worked closely with- Captain Gotoh got a  
chocolate from her, Shige and Sakaki got chocolates, Hiromi, Ohta, Asuma,  
Shinshi- basically, all of the guys in the second unit or associated with  
it prior to the re-organization of the SV2 Division 2.  
  
Her final Valentine chocolate- obviously a piece of 'giri' chocolate- was  
delivered to Gomioka himself. That would have been fine, except the timing  
of it was way off.  
  
Just as Kanuka handed Gomioka the box of chocolate, Gomioka's wife walked  
in, carrying her own box. Taking one look at the scene, his wife turned  
and walked back out. Gomioka ran out to follow her, and found the gift she  
had gotten for him lying in the trash can, while she, herself, was long  
gone.  
  
It had taken many long hours of talking with her over the phone to calm her  
down and convince her that no, he was not having an affair with Kanuka, and  
that the chocolates she was giving him were merely a professional courtesy,  
and had no romantic connotations whatsoever.  
  
In the end, Gomioka wound up with no chocolates, because in order to  
satisfy his wife he had to return the gift back to Kanuka. Gomioka was the  
only male in the entire SV2 Second Section who had no chocolates by the end  
of the day, as Kanuka, upon getting the chocolates back from him, divided  
the contents of the box with two of his other men- Yoshi Tobe and Yamane  
Seiroku. It might be noted that Kenji Iguchi was a male who also failed to  
receive any chocolates, but that was because no-one remembered him- Kanuka  
forgot to save a portion for him, and his teammates forgot to remind her.   
However, no-one noticed his disappointment and so Gomioka didn't even think  
about the fact that Kenji also didn't get anything.  
  
Gomioka knew he was probably being paranoid, but he could swear that every  
time he turned his back on someone in the SV2, they were pointing at him  
and laughing about his misfortune. It didn't help that his most bitter  
rival in the SV2, Captain Gotoh, recieved more Valentine chocolate than  
anyone.  
  
Regardless of the whole Valentine's day fiasco, there was a piece of news  
that Gomioka hoped would help him rise from the doldrums. Finally, he was  
getting the equipment he would need to turn his unit into an EFFECTIVE  
force- his three new labors were coming. Soon, very soon, he would have  
top-of-the-line labors to man his shift with.  
  
They weren't supposed to arrive until the twentieth, but Gomioka had a  
surprise for his men (and women). But now, with the date of delivery  
confirmed, there were certain things he would be allowed to do to get them  
ready.  
  
"Listen up, people," he said, addressing the six members of the third unit.  
"Finally, we're all back together again, after that disaster of a softball  
tournament crippled half of you. Unit 2, however, is not- they are still  
down a pilot due to injury and a command car operator due to, ahem,  
personal reasons. Because of this, Unit 2 has... graciously... loaned us  
one of their Ingrams so that those of you who aren't fully familiar with it  
can learn the differences between an Ingram and a Type 97, and for those of  
you who ARE familiar with it to get a refresher course in its workings."   
Gomioka had to struggle to say 'graciously' without showing his distaste  
for pandering to Gotoh too publically, but he managed. Continuing, he  
announced, "Our own labors are on the way, and we'll be recieving them in  
five days. I expect all of you to be the best Ingram operators in the   
country by the time they arrive. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" the six labor operators chorused.  
  
"Good- everyone, get your equipment. Drills start in two minutes!  
  
*****  
  
February 20, 2000  
  
The drills had been tough and intense. For four days straight, Gomioka  
would make sure everyone had a turn at the controls, getting the Ingram to  
do complex tasks with minimal motion. Gomioka started enjoying command for  
the first time- he was in his element now, and no-one was better than he  
was at running labor drills.  
  
Finally, the day the new labors were to join them had arrived. Gomioka  
could drive away his concerns over Gotoh and Shinobu by putting himself  
into his work. Furthermore, now that he had useful patlabors on the way,  
much of the stress would go out of his job. Perhaps, for once, his  
position as Captain would be what he'd been dreaming it would be.  
  
For some reason, though, his labors were late.  
  
He walked into the office, where both Shinobu and Gotoh were working.   
Shinobu was officially on her duty shift and Gotoh was officially on his  
standby shift, but Gotoh for some reason chose to spend all of his time in   
the office with Shinobu even when he didn't have to.  
  
Gomioka stiffened for a moment upon seeing his inter-office rival standing  
over Shinobu's desk, pointing something out on a piece if paper. Quickly  
recovering his composure, he walked over to his own desk and sat down.   
Turning to the other captains, he asked, "My labors should have been here  
three hours ago... who am I supposed to call for inquiries about such  
things?"  
  
Shinobu looked over at him. "Probably they're just stuck in traffic. You  
might want to call the quartermaster's corps to find out for certain,  
however- they're in charge of labor procurement."  
  
Gomioka nodded and looked through the SV2 Official Phone List to find the  
number of the quartermaster's corps. Dialing them up, he waited for  
someone to pick up the phone.  
  
After twelve rings, he hung up the phone and tried again, just to make  
certain that he had dialed the right number. When again it didn't answer  
after twelve rings, he turned to Gotoh and Shinobu, still discussion  
paperwork. "Hey, is this the current number for the quartermaster corps?"  
he asked.  
  
Gotoh, already standing, walked over to check what he was pointing to.   
"Yeah- that's it, all right."  
  
Gomioka frowned. "Well, they aren't picking up on the other end- not even  
voice mail is coming up."  
  
"That's strange," Shinobu said. "There's always someone on duty over  
there."  
  
Gotoh walked over to his desk and picked up his own phone, dialing several  
other numbers. A few rings after each call, he hung up. "Hmm... I just  
tried to make contact with various people I know who works in the same  
building- niether they nor their voice mail is picking up, either.   
Something very strange is going on." Gotoh paused to consider things for a  
moment.  
  
"Should we investigate it?" Shinobu asked, thinking aloud.  
  
"You and I can't," Gotoh noted. "We're on duty, and it would be a bad idea  
to go out on just a hunch when there's a chance we could get called into  
action at any moment."  
  
Gomioka caught the implication in Gotoh's voice, and nodded. As much as he  
disliked the man, he had a point. "My unit IS officially off duty... think  
anyone would mind if I took the Ancient Warriors out for one last spin?"  
  
"Ancient Warriors?" Shinobu asked.  
  
Gomioka looked abashed. "It's a nickname the mechanics squad gave them,"  
he explained. "I sort of picked it up."  
  
"Fitting," she said. Gotoh nodded as well.  
  
"I suspect you could get away with it," Gotoh said. "But you'd have to  
hurry- your standby shift starts in just six hours, and it would take you  
an hour to get there and an hour to get back... IF there isn't too much  
traffic. More likely than not, it'll take two or two and a half hours each  
way- which means you won't have more than a couple of hours to do your  
investigating."  
  
Gomioka nodded. "We'll be back in time. See you in six hours."  
  
After he left the office, Gotoh turned to Shinobu. "Hmm... he just might  
work out as a captain, after all."  
  
*****  
  
Shinshi yawned. "What's going on? I thought we were off duty- I need  
sleep." Murmurs of ascent joined him from most of the remaining crew of  
Unit 3.  
  
"We're police officers! We're never off duty!" Ohta snapped.  
  
"Then why do the charts say 'off duty, 0800-1600'?" Shinshi asked.  
  
"People, people!" Gomioka cautioned. "Settle down. I can't explain  
anything until you're ready to listen." The bickering quickly stopped  
before he continued. "I need to ask you all to voluntarily join me in an  
investigation. For some reason, our labors have not arrived yet. Trying  
to figure out WHY they hadn't come, I attempted to make contact with the  
quartermaster corps. However, there was no answer on the other end of the  
phone. Several attempts to call others in the same building also failed...  
which means that there's a chance something seriously wrong is going on.   
The duty officers can't investigate since it's only a conjecture based on  
the wildest of speculation, but WE aren't on duty."  
  
Kanuka nodded to herself. "You need us to go in and poke around to see  
what's going on, don't you? Well, I volunteer."  
  
Ohta nodded. "I will, as well."  
  
Shinshi sighed. "I really shouldn't- I should be getting my sleep, and my  
wife would KILL me if she found out I was risking my neck unnecessarily  
like this, but... what the hell. I'll go, to."  
  
Yamane Seiroku, Koichi Miyagi, and Yoshi Tobe all nodded at this. "We  
won't let the first labor team get all the glory," Seiroku stated proudly.  
  
"I'd like to take all three labors along, as well... just in case," Gomioka  
noted.  
  
Seiroku's face lit up. He started to grab his helmet and head for the Type  
96, but Kanuka started moving first. Seiroku rushed up to her and caught  
her by the shoulder. She turned and glared at him, making him back off a  
step and swallow.  
  
"Um," he explained nervously. "I sort of have the unofficial position of  
third labor pilot in this unit."  
  
Kanuka opened her mouth to reply, but Gomioka intervened before she could  
say anything. "I think we should let her take it out this time. You're  
totally untrained for the 96, but she's been a patlabor pilot long enough  
to have piloted it before and is more likely to understand all its quirks."  
  
"But captain-" Seiroku protested.  
  
"We'll discuss whether to put her in that position permanently or have it  
alternate between you after we get our regular labors, but this is not a  
normal situation."  
  
Yamane's face fell. "Yes, sir," he said sullenly, walking at a much slower  
pace for his 97's command car.  
  
Gomioka nodded. "Everyone, board up and move 'em out!"  
  
*****  
  
Gomioka, for the first time, felt as though he was in complete control of  
his command. Even Ohta, the prototypical hothead, was obeying his commands  
to stay cool and not alert the populace- after all, there was no proof that  
anything was wrong, yet.  
  
The three labor transports (the third driven by Gomioka himself) made their  
way through the streets of Tokyo, thankfully not attracting TOO much  
attention. It actually helped that the patlabors were obsolete, for once,  
as most of the populace assumed they were being taken to be scrapped.  
  
"We're getting close," Gomioka informed the others through the radio.   
"Let's pull over two blocks from the building. Command car operators and  
labor transport officers will raise their labors and then join me as I go  
in on foot, and we'll keep in touch with everyone else."  
  
"Yes, sir," the labor crews confirmed over the radio.  
  
Gomioka pulled his transport into the empty parking lot of a shopping  
center that was under renovation. "You all set back there?" he asked  
Kanuka.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Gomioka pressed the 'raise labor' button. Once he was fairly certain that  
the Type 96 was safely raised, he opened the door and popped out as quickly  
as he could. Shinshi, Yamane Seiroku, and Yoshi Tobe quickly joined him.   
Together, they made their way down the last two blocks as casually as they  
could, then slipped inside the building which housed the independant  
contractors and logistics sections for the police.  
  
A pretty female receptionist decked out in a typical police woman's uniform  
greeted them upon their entrance. "Hello, can I help you?"  
  
Gomioka, poised for action, was a bit surprised at the casual greeting.   
"Um, maybe. We tried to call several times to several different offices  
throughout the building and got no response..."  
  
The receptionist nodded. "Yes. We've had some trouble with the phone  
system today."  
  
Gomioka sighed. He had been so geared up for action that it was a severe  
disappointment to find out that nothing serious was wrong. Oh, well- while  
he was here....  
  
"I initially called to try and get in touch with the Quartermaster's Corps.  
May I ask what office they are in?"  
  
The receptionist nodded. "Certainly, sir... just let me look them up."   
She rifled through the papers on her desk, searching for something.  
  
Gomioka pulled out his radio and made contact with the labors. "Stand  
down- false alarm," he ordered.  
  
Shinshi, pacing impatiently, kicked something with one of his feet.   
Bending down to look closer at it, he blinked. "Um, Captain Gomioka, sir?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What do you make of this?" he asked, handing him a police badge.  
  
Gomioka looked at it in surprise. The badge itself was dented and the  
clasp was violently twisted. He couldn't quite puzzle out why it had been  
so badly damaged, unless it was torn off of a police jacket and stomped on  
several times....  
  
Approaching the receptionist desk, he looked over at the attractive woman  
and said, "Excuse me, but it appears as if-" He stopped, seeing a foot  
stick out from under the desk. "Hey, what's going on here? Oof!" he  
didn't have time to finish as the receptionist, quick as lightning, flashed  
a punch out at his chin which knocked him five feet back and leapt over the  
desk to continue the fight.  
  
Gomioka watched, his vision dimming, as the other three mobilized, running  
to aid their fallen captain. Shinshi was caught by a kick to the face,  
sending him into an unconscious slumber. Yoshi Tobe went down just as  
fast, leaving Seiroku to face the woman alone. He nodded imperceptively,  
and the woman charged. Seiroku was apparently a bit of a martial artist,  
successfully deflecting several of her blows and returning some of her own.  
  
Gomioka attempted to rise and help him, but that proved to be a mistake.   
With his equilibrium knocked out of whack by the blow given him, he wasn't  
able to keep from stumbling and falling face-first onto the floor in front  
of himself, unconsious.  
  
*****  
  
He woke up feeling someone rustling around behind him, cords being tied to  
his wrists. Not giving whoever it was a chance to finish, Gomioka lashed  
out and broke free of the attacker's grip, snapping the not-quite-tied rope  
apart.  
  
"Whoa, sir!" Seiroku cried. "I was just trying to untie you!"  
  
Gomioka blinked in the dim light. Shinshi and Yoshi were nowhere to be  
found. "Where are we?"  
  
"A storage closet, I think. I just got myself free and was working on your  
knots when you attacked."  
  
"Sorry about that," Gomioka apologized. "I thought you were trying to tie  
me up. Where are Tobe and Mikiyashi?"  
  
"Dunno, sir. You know as much as I do- except I was awake when they  
dragged me here. That woman pinned me to the ground and chained me up in  
my own hand-cuffs, dammit! Thankfully, I always hide a spare key for them  
in my shoe."  
  
Gomioka nodded, and stood up cautiously. He had a bad headache, but  
otherwise felt fine. "I doubt they could have locked us in here... whadya  
say we go find our fellow officers then get the labors to come and bring  
these idiots to justice?"  
  
Seiroku nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let's go."  
  
Gomioka and Seiroku burst out of the closet, looking both ways. An armed  
man standing outside looked at them in shock, but Seiroku knocked him out  
with a chop to the neck before he could raise an alarm.  
  
"Let's split up- we'll cover more ground," Gomioka suggested.  
  
Seiroku nodded. "Were do we regroup?"  
  
"Try and get back to the parking lot where we left the labors and let them  
all know what's going on."  
  
"Yes, sir." With that, Seiroku ran off down the right corridor.  
  
Gomioka looked at the unconscious man at his feet and sighed. "If I had  
time to wait for you to wake up, I'd ask you who the hell you are, but I  
don't have time...." With that, he grabbed the man, dragged him back into  
the closet, and tied the man up with the ropes that had initially been  
secured to his own wrists, and then he moved on.  
  
*****  
  
Ohta frowned. "It's been WAY too long since the Captain said to stand  
down. Where are they?"  
  
Kanuka sighed. "It's probably just taking them a long time to track down  
our Labor shipment. If anything had gone wrong, they would have called  
us... but if it makes you feel THAT much better, you can prepare your labor  
for action again."  
  
Ohta smiled. "Yes, ma'am!" he cried happily, saluting. Dashing off, he  
returned to his 97's cabin and set about getting it combat ready.  
  
Kanuka sighed. "One of these days, he's going to have to tone down that  
enthusiasm," she noted, heading over to her 96 to prepare it for combat  
herself. "But for once, maybe he's got the right idea- it HAS been an  
awfully long while, come to think of it...."  
  
*****  
  
Gomioka looked around, uncertain of where to go next. Then he heard  
muffled voices coming from another room.  
  
"Most of the prisoners have been released, thanks to the SV2's untimely  
interruption. Without the element of surprise on our side, we won't be  
able to hold them off for long. Give me the papers, I'll hide it from them  
even if we're captured," the first one was saying.  
  
"Okay, here. I'll go and cause a distraction, you just get the hell out of  
here," the second replied.  
  
"Use the Brocken. That thing will cause such a disturbance they'd miss a  
tank trying to sneak away."  
  
"I'll get right on it."  
  
A man ran out of the room, which for the first time Gomioka noticed was the  
office given to Shinohara Heavy Industries as the SV2's chief contractor,  
and stopped. "He's here, already! Run!" The man crashed into Gomioka,  
taking him down and allowing the second man to run out a back way.  
  
Gomioka, using his martial arts training, flipped the attacker off of him  
and stood up. With three blows, he disabled the guy and took off in hot  
pursuit of the man carrying the stolen documents. By the time he got out  
the back entrance, however, the second man was gone. What was worse was  
the man he thought he'd knocked out was also gone when he returned to tie  
him up.  
  
"Damn. And they've got a Brocken, too- the 97's don't stand a chance  
against it," he muttered to himself. "And now they know I've escaped-  
this is bad." He tried to use a nearby phone to call for backup, but found  
that the line was dead.  
  
Moving on, he searched the halls, moving as quietly as he could and  
listening for anything which might be a warning of an attack. Eventually,  
he heard something, but it wasn't anything to do with an attack.  
  
"Mmmm- mmmm!" came a muffled shout from a nearby closet. Gomioka opened  
the door and found someone tied up and gagged. To Gomioka's relieve, he  
recognized the guy.  
  
"Shinshi!" he cried with relieve. "Hold on, let me help you."  
  
Once he got the gag off, he started working on his bonds.  
  
"Yoshi's in here, too," Shinshi explained. "We've gotta hurry- I heard  
someone saying that they've got a Brocken to cover their escape."  
  
"I heard the same," Gomioka said as he finished untying the knots. "Tried  
to call in support from headquarters, but I found that the phones are dead.  
Let's get Tobe free and get the hell out of here."  
  
"Yes, sir," Shinshi said, working on Yoshi Tobe's feet as Gomioka started  
on the hands. Together, they had him free in a matter of a few seconds,  
and he tore the gag off of himself.  
  
"Yuck!" Yoshi Tobe said.  
  
"Seiroku's already freed most of the building's personnel, I think- he's  
supposed to meet us over by the labors," Gomioka explained. "If we get  
seperated, regroup there." With that, they started to make their way out  
of the building.  
  
*****  
  
Kenji Iguchi, who hadn't mounted up in his labor like Ohta and Kanuka had,  
blinked in surprise. "What the hell!" Pulling out his radio, he shouted,  
"Ohta, Kanuka! There's a Type 7 Brocken coming down the street!"  
  
"All right! Finally, some action!" Ohta roared, pulling out in his labor  
and running down the street in the direction of the Brocken.  
  
"Ohta, wait!" Kanuka shouted, pulling out in her own 96 and following him.   
"You aren't in an Ingram- you don't stand a chance against a military  
labor!"  
  
Ohta ignored her in his usual battle craze. Running as fast as he could,  
he rammed the 97's shoulder into the chest of the Brocken. The military  
labor, not expecting the move, staggered back, nearly falling before its  
auto-stabilizers kicked in and helped it to right itself- just in time to  
receive a blow to the head from the 97's combat baton. That rattled the  
Brocken, but did nothing more than that. The 97 just wasn't strong enough  
to do any significant damage to the other labor.  
  
Before it could go on the offensive, however, Kanuka pulled up in her 96,  
attempting a similar set of moves. This time, however, the Brocken was  
prepared for it, and counterattacked, smashing Kanuka's labor on the nose  
and digging it into the ground. Kanuka backed off and waited, hoping the  
Brocken would make a mistake it could use.  
  
While this battle was going on, several people ran out the building, using  
the Brocken for cover as they boarded a nearby bus. When the bus was  
filled, it drove off, leaving the military labor to fend for itself.  
  
Kenji Iguchi's labor joined them a minute later, and together Unit 3's  
three labors were able to hold the Brocken to a stand-off.  
  
*****  
  
Gomioka, Shinshi, and Yoshi Tobe made their way through the halls,  
frequently running into panicked groups of police contractors or other  
police officers trying to escape from the now-departed terrorists who had  
struck the building. Someone had pulled a fire alarm, and in certain  
sections of the building the sprinkler system had gone off.  
  
"Seiroku!" Yoshi called, spying their comrade amidst the chaos of the  
situation. "Over here!"  
  
Yamane Seiroku ran over to the group. "Sir, I found the building's REAL  
staff locked up in the warehouse and released them," he said, saluting.  
  
Gomioka returned the salute. "Good work. Let's keep moving- there's a  
Brocken out there and we need to find a way to call for re-inforcements."  
  
Seiroku nodded. "The way out's just down these stairs- come on."  
  
In less than a minute, the four men reached the front doors and bolted  
outside-  
  
Only to leap out of the way to avoid the foot of a retreating 97. The  
battle had been going on for several minutes, and the damage to the  
surrounding neighborhood was astounding. The damage to the labors was  
relatively minor, however- there were some dents in the heavy armour of the  
Brocken, and Kanuka's 96 was missing its left grapple arm, but the 97s  
weren't visibly damaged at all.  
  
"Good god, don't tell me they're actually trying to stop it on their own?"  
Gomioka said.  
  
*****  
  
Kanuka saw the rest of her unit leave the police building just as the  
Brocken attempted a feint. When she saw it charging in on Ohta's labor,  
she saw her opportunity arise. Using the overdrive on the 96, she managed  
to push it up to almost the Brocken's speed- and approaching from the side,  
crashed right into the military labor's knee.  
  
With a loud *crunch* the Brocken fell, and Ohta's labor descended on it,  
stabbing with as much force he could muster into the fallen labor's back,  
killing the power source.  
  
"Take that, you terrorist scum!" he shouted, pulling his baton out and  
about to bring it down again, when he noticed Kanuka's labor wasn't moving.  
"Kanuka, you okay in there?"  
  
"Just fine, but I don't think this labor'll ever see action again."  
  
*****  
  
In the end, even though the Brocken had been defeated, their was no way to  
tell if the SV2 had succeeded or failed. Had the papers successfully been  
stolen? No one knew, and even if they had been, whoever had done it was  
also a mystery. The captured labor pilot wasn't talking and the various  
offices had been so badly rifled or damaged it would take weeks to sort out  
what was missing.  
  
But the mood of the third unit was high. Successful or not, they had  
finally proven to themselves that they were an effective unit- and, better  
yet, they were now getting new labors to replace their obsolete old  
vehicles.  
  
"Well," Gomioka said as he told the story of the mission, "The Ancient  
Warriors DID prove to be somewhat useful... just as we're getting rid of  
them, too. Oh, yeah- I never did find out what happened to our new  
labors."  
  
Gotoh put a hand behind his head. "Oh, yeah- we got a call shortly after  
you left. It was Shinohara Heavy Industries; they apologized for the  
delay, but said that they wouldn't be able to deliver until the 22nd due to  
problems with the transport trucks."  
  
Gomioka sighed. "Well, only a couple more days of dealing with the Ancient  
Warriors and then we're finally rid of them."  
  
Mechanics Chief Sakaki, listening into the tale for his own reasons,  
smirked. "Ancient Warriors. I like that name for them... say, when we get  
the new labors, what're we going to be doing with the old 97s and 96s."  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "I understand they'll just be mothballed again, for the  
next time we expand the Special Vehicles."  
  
Sakaki nodded. "Hmm... might I have permission to take them to my home  
instead of mothball them? I'd like to try and keep them maintained, maybe  
tweek them up a little more. That way, we'll always have an extra labor or  
two if we need to send some back to the factory for maintenance... and I'd  
have something to help train a young cadet or two with."  
  
Gotoh looked to Gomioka, who shrugged, and Shinobu, who nodded. "I don't  
see why not... we'll have to get an O.K. from headquarters for you to work  
on them off-site, but if you're willing to maintain them on your own budget  
I don't think anyone will have any complaints."  
  
*****  
  
Sitting in his office, a man opened an envelope. "Ah, here we go- finally,  
found what we were looking for. Excellent. With these plans, we're  
another step closer to our final goal."  
  
"But we sacrificed a Brocken to get those plans. Are they worth it?" a  
second figure asked.  
  
The first man stood up, looking over the diagrams of the Ingram and its  
varients. "Yes, I'd say so," he said, adjusting his square-rimmed glasses.  
"I'd say so."  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: Someone finds Gotoh's personal notebook, including notes on  
all of the members of the SV2. This episode may help those of you who are  
confused about who all the new people are...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  



	13. Episode 13: Patlabor's Personnel Files

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 13: Patlabor: Personnel Files  
February 22, 2000  
  
"Hmm, I need the stapler..." one of the SV2 officers said, searching  
through the top of Gotoh's desk. The three captains were all out of the  
office, but that didn't stop people from coming in to file reports.  
  
As the officer looked through the clutter on the desk, he knocked a book  
off the table. Picking it up and casually glancing through it out of  
curiousity, he noticed something.  
  
"Hey, is that my name? And Shinobu's... and Kanuka's... and- whadya know?   
Everyone's name is here. What is this, exactly?"  
  
Turning it to the beginning, he read the title page.  
  
"Thoughts on my co-workers in the SV2, by Luitenant Gotoh. Begun  
11/23/98."  
  
The officer blinked. "LUITENANT Gotoh? This thing must be from back when  
the SV2 was first formed. Interesting."  
  
He flipped to the next page.  
  
"Shinobu Nagumo," it read.  
  
"Captain of the SV2, Division 2. Age: 32 (hey- she's my age! Woohoo!).   
A real looker. Very competant. Should probably be in a higher position-  
should investigate why she isn't. I'd love to ask her out, but she's my  
superior- it could hurt my career if we were caught. I'm due for a  
promotion, though- maybe I'll have a chance when it comes.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"12/29/98- I got promoted to captain. We're of equal rank, now, and I'm no  
longer under her command- I can date her without being punished by internal  
affairs. I'm gonna ask her out for new years.  
  
"1/01/99- I got shot down. No explanation why from her- maybe she's  
already got a boyfriend, but she seemed reluctant to admit it. I'm not  
giving up, though- she didn't seem to mind the attention.  
  
"10/04/99- Oh, god, what a road trip! We wound up sharing a hotel room in  
a love hotel. Shinobu is SO cute! Too bad she caught me before I got a  
chance to see her in the bath. She didn't seem to mad about it, though,  
after she was done with the bath. I didn't get any sleep at all, though-  
not only was I just using a sofa and a towel to try and get comfortable  
with, but she was in the room the whole time. I went over to just watch  
her for a few moments- just watching her is a pleasure- and found she was  
still awake as well. Then she checked on me a few minutes later. I don't  
know- she seemed rather nervous. Was there a chance that she thought  
something might actually happen? If so, does that mean she might find me a  
little attractive? At least a very little?  
  
"1/4/2000- Went to kiss Shinobu on New Years, but she dodged. It didn't  
help there was a huge power-out at the time. Sigh.  
  
"1/28/00- Shinobu got drunk today. I read a postcard from someone who I  
think is a former lover named Tsuge. All I know about him is that he  
established a school in the Police Academy that was a predecessor to the  
Patlabor Training Facility, and that was where she met him. I also know he  
was married- which is a bad, BAD thing. Shinobu kissed me for the first  
time today, but as good as it was I couldn't let her do it again. Not like  
that anyway- not when she's on the rebound.  
  
"1/29/00- Shinobu and I talked about last night. She says to forget last  
night happened, but encouraged me to continue pursuing her. I've gotta  
move real carefully, now- don't want to move in so fast that I become a  
short-lived rebound relationship for her. I'm also not certain she's  
entirely over that postcard."  
  
The officer reading Gotoh's journal sat down at his desk and leaned back.   
"Interesting- very interesting," he said. "I always thought there was  
something wierd about their relationship. I wonder what this book has to  
say about the rest of the wierdos here."  
  
Turning the page to the next tab, he continued reading.  
  
"Tetsuo Gomioka.  
  
"Very junior luitenant. Will probably replace me when I'm promoted. Very  
serious. A couple years younger than I am. He's the pilot of Labor 1, so  
I guess that means we're equals- both luitenants piloting a labor. He's  
very good, technically, but I don't know how good he is with people. He  
seems a bit arrogant. Other than that, he's okay. Oh, yeah- he's married,  
but I don't get the feeling it's all that happy a marraige- he seems to  
avoid his wife and she seems quite jealous and suspicious of him.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"4/12/99- Shinobu got mad when we she found out her unit was being used to  
develop military equipment. Gomioka found out about her anger, and so  
abandoned the labor that was the cause of this so as to make her happy,  
despite the belief that the older technology of his labor made his  
assignment dangerous. He might have a crush on her, too- is he a rival for  
Shinobu's affection?  
  
"12/27/99- Tomorrow gets promoted to command the newly established third  
unit. VERY BAD IDEA in my opinion- he's not ready for command. Shinobu,  
however, thinks he can handle it. I'm going along with it for her, but I  
fear what it might do to Division 2.  
  
"2/20/00- He did a good job today. Maybe he's growing into the job. We'll  
see."  
  
The officer sighed. "Not much to go on, there. Odd, though- I never saw  
anything between him and Shinobu. Then again, I haven't been around here  
for too long. Who else is mentioned in here?"  
  
Continuing through the book, he read, "Ohta Isao.  
  
"Headstrong firebrand. A bit triggerhappy. Pilot of labor 3 (a Type 96-  
he's only called on in emergencies. He also acts as the command car  
officer for Gomioka's labor, but he usually have to ignore half of what he  
said). Ambitious brown-noser. Crack shot, adequete hand-to-hand ability.   
As likely to cause problems as to solve him. He has a rivalry with  
Shinohara. Oldest person in the division who isn't an officer- though  
still just about my age. He'd do better if he could calm down.  
  
"1/1/99- He was given to me to be one of my two labor pilots in my new  
unit, as part of a deal to get Shinohara. Still need to find another-  
Shinohara, who would be my top choice, is VERY reluctant to do it. I'm  
trying to convince S. to take the assignment by making him Ohta's command  
car operator. A few weeks of that and poor Asuma'll be begging for any  
other position.  
  
"1/20/99- The Shinohara expirement is failing. I'm getting new labors- and  
a couple of new labor-trained personnel- in a few days. I'm keeping an eye  
on someone I bumped into on my recent trip to the academy- Noa Izumi.   
Izumi has the same never-say-die attitude that Ohta has and Shinohara  
lack, but also is in control of herself enough to not be a threat to the  
public. I'll put them together if possible. Maybe between them I'll get  
what I want- Asuma's tactical skill combined with Ohta's stubborn will  
minus Ohta's hair trigger. At any rate, I'm moving Shinohara off of Ohta's  
team- Shinshi's the most likely candidate to replace him, unless one of the  
new recruits turns out to have promising chemistry with him.  
  
"1/26/99- PERFECT! An American officer just arrived, hoping to join our  
unit. She also has the sense to realize piloting a labor of her own is  
impossible, despite her impressive skills in the field. She's a firebrand  
in her own way- maybe she can tame Ohta down a bit. At any rate, she's  
better than Shinshi would be.  
  
"6/24/99- Bad news. Kanuka had to leave, meaning I'm going to have to make  
Shinshi Ohta's backup, after all. He can do the job, but it'll be a  
serious struggle for him. I'm going to search all my resources for a  
replacement.  
  
"7/1/99- Found a replacement for Shinshi. Takeo Kumagami. She's a  
luitenant, so she'll have his respect like Kanuka did, though she's  
inexperienced. We'll work on it.  
  
"12/27/99- Pushing Ohta off on Gomioka. I feel for the guy, I really do,  
but after dealing with Ohta for a full year now I think it's time he became  
someone else's problem. It's sort of a lateral promotion for Ohta, but  
it'll probably be good for his career in the long run."  
  
The officer reading smirked. "Yep, that sounds like what it would be like  
dealing with Ohta, all right. I wonder who's next?"  
  
"Asuma Shinohara," the book said.  
  
"A bit of a punk, but considering what I know of his brother's suicide,  
that's to be expected. Does NOT get along with his father, who heads the  
largest labor manufacturer in Japan. Despite this, he still is able to use  
his background in the labor industry to his advantage. Knows the technical  
ability of just about every labor out there, and an impressive tactition,  
as well. I think I'll take him under my wing. I just wish I could  
convince him to become a labor pilot- I think he'd be good at that  
position. Don't know why he doesn't like being one, he just does. Has a  
rivalry with Ohta. Twenty four years old.  
  
"1/1/99- Asuma's been assigned to my unit. I begged Shinobu for him,  
shegave him to me... but I had to take Ohta, too. I'll make Asuma Ohta's  
command car operator- might convince Shinohara that there are worse jobs  
than being a labor pilot.  
  
"1/23/99- Heh... Asuma met the academy girl I've been keeping my eye on.   
She isn't even officially part of our unit yet, and already they're working  
together like a great team. Maybe I don't need to try and make him a  
pilot, after all- he seems to be good with the command car position.  
  
"1/26/99- Asuma and Noa came up against each other in labor competition  
today. Asuma was holding his own (even though it had degenerated into a  
sort of elementary school play-fight, I could tell they were about even)  
but then 'his leg suddenly gave out.' I know better than that- he threw  
the match to her. I don't mind, though- he made up for it by showing that  
he and Noa will be an EXCELLENT team as forward and backup. After he was  
eliminated, he, without even being asked, assumed the position of command  
for her... using his advice, Noa advanced to the finals and even fought the  
extremely good and heavily experienced pilot Kanuka Clancy (from NY) to a  
standstill, losing only because of a simple rookie mistake (running out of  
power).  
  
"6/2/99- Asuma and Noa have had a huge fight. I'm going to have to  
separate them when we go on this next mission, and hope that the temporary  
separation will help them make up.  
  
"6/10/99- Asuma actually decided to pilot a labor, for once. He did it to  
rescue Noa during a fight with some strange- but very powerful- labor.   
Seems to me they made up.  
  
"8/2/99- Asuma was severely injured in battle against a (different)  
super-powerful labor. He was test-driving the mass-production labor, and  
claims that it was not running smoothly at all. I believe him. At any  
rate, he'll be out of the action for a bit.  
  
"8/7/99- Asuma aggravated his injury because he wouldn't listen to the  
doctors advice and came to help us out against the black labor.  
  
"11/5/99- Asuma had a class reunion today. He's acting very distracted,  
like something strange happened at the reunion. Actually, he's been doing  
that for a few days, now, come to think of it. Wonder what's going on...  
  
"12/16/99- Asuma took Noa somewhere today. Considering it's the  
anniversary of his brother's suicide, I can guess where.  
  
"1/7/00- Asuma went to dinner with his father. Curious- perhaps they are  
attempting some sort of reconciliation? At any rate, he was rather upset  
before he left.  
  
"1/18/00- The maintenance squad had a little spat with him because he was  
rude to Natsume. I think Sakaki stepped in and settled it, though.  
  
"1/28/00- Asuma's taking personal time off to look after Noa. He'll  
probably be gone as long as she is- which is about a month, I think."  
  
The man reading the journal chuckled. "Of course Shinohara'd take a month  
off to look after Noa. They're lovers, aren't they? I wonder why Gotoh  
didn't mention the depth of their relationship in this journal, though?   
Maybe it's in Noa's entry. Ah, well, wonder who's next."  
  
There were a couple of entries the man passed by- people who were no longer  
part of SV2, including Akito Kenichi, the most recent to have departed,  
looking for more relevant entries. He stopped when he got to Toru Sasaki.  
  
"Grizzled veteran- he's been a Patlabor pilot since the program got started  
in 1996. Retired from piloting to become a command car operator in 1998.   
Refuses promotions and claims the new labors give him motion sickness-  
which seems odd to me, if the old ones didn't. Typical veteran, except he  
has a thing for keeping his uniform clean."  
  
Their were no updates on him, and so the person reading turned another  
page.  
  
"Hideki Nomo,  
  
"Labor driver. Was a labor pilot from the start of the industry alongside  
Toru Sasaki, until he lost a hand in the line of duty. Unphasable by  
outside events. Otherwise uninteresting."  
  
That seemed a rather... pointless... entry. Again, the page turned.  
  
"Shinshi Mikiyashi  
  
"Harmless.  
  
"1/26/99- Make that Mostly Harmless."  
  
For some reason, the reader of the journal was expecting a longer entry for  
Shinshi, considering certain things. There was no mention of Shinshi's  
marraige, his rivalry with Ohta, the triggers which would upset him, or  
anything. Then again, Shinshi probably WAS just mostly harmless. Oh,  
well- on to the next entry.  
  
"Yuhki Watanabe  
  
"Returned to Unit 1 to replace me when we created Unit 2- apparently, he  
couldn't hack it the first time he joined. I wasn't part of the SV2 when  
he was first here, but apparently he was just too nervous in combat  
situations to deal with it. He's still rather nervous, but maybe he's over  
it by now."  
  
Again, there were no updates- Gotoh apparently didn't have much to say  
about the members of Unit 1. There was only one more to deal with,  
however, until they reached the entries on the latest crop of rookies.  
  
"Tazaki Hiroaki  
  
"Another man brought in to fill up Unit 1's ranks. He's a transport  
driver.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"12/27/99- Promoted on permanent basis to become command car operator for  
Yuhki."  
  
Another real short entry- barely worth reading. Maybe the next one would  
prove more interesting.  
  
"Hiromi Yamazaki  
  
"A gentle giant. Really quiet. I'm not entirely sure why he joined the  
force- he spends more time worrying about his tomato garden and caring for  
the hens than he does caring about police work. He's the first person to  
have my unit as his first assignment- should be getting another one soon  
(I'm looking at Noa Izumi, a delightful young girl who I hope has the  
ability to go with that enthusiasm). He'll be on the not-yet-formed labor  
team 2.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"1/26/99- Found the rest of Labor Team 2. Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara.   
It seems as if they'll have pretty good chemistry.  
  
  
That entry was a bit longer than the last few, but still left something to  
be desired. Oh, well- there really wasn't much to know about Hiromi,  
outside of that, as far as the reader knew. On to the next entry.  
  
"Noa Izumi," it said.  
  
"What a find. The tests all show that she should be a barely average cop,  
but there are a few things about her that make me think those tests are all  
wrong. Namely, she's already shown herself a skilled labor pilot, almost  
singlehandedly rescuing the new Type 98 labor as it was being stolen.   
That, along with her enthusiasm and affinity for her labor, all show she's  
perfect for her position. That, and the chemistry she has with Asuma  
Shinohara all make me think she's a tremendous find.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"1/26/99- She's named her labor Alphonse. She also won the position of  
pilot for labor 1 over Ohta. Deserves it, too. She fought Kanuka Clancy,  
who is reputed to be the best Patlabor pilot in the world, to a standstill,  
losing in the end due to having neglected to keep her eyes on the power  
guage. She DID have an unfair advantage, however- Asuma was helping her.   
As I said, good chemestry between those two.  
  
"6/2/99- Noa and Asuma had a spat. I'll work on fixing them up- I'd hate  
to lose as good a team as that over something stupid.  
  
"6/10/99- Spat seems to be resolved. Asuma saved Noa's life in a labor  
battle today.  
  
"8/7/99- Noa's fight against the black labor nearly sent her into a nervous  
breakdown. It'll take her a while to recover from this one.  
  
"10/11/99- Noa's second fight against the black labor ended much better for  
her. I don't think we'll be seeing it again.  
  
"10/15/99- Noa had a toothache today. It didn't exactly make her happy,  
and Asuma teased her about it constantly. She seems to hate going to a  
dentist...  
  
"11/18/99- We went on our first unit vacation this week. Noa seemed a  
little upset that she couldn't get drunk despite everyone else being so.   
Odd, that.  
  
"12/16/99- Noa went with Asuma to visit his brother's grave.   
  
"1/7/00- Noa seems upset today. Don't know why."  
  
"1/28/00- Injured with freak sports accident. She was trampled, and will  
be in the hospital almost a month. Asuma's keeping her company."  
  
Finally, a longer entry. There were a few things missing, however. Like  
with Asuma's entry, there wasn't any mention of the two of them going out.   
Well, except maybe for that repeated mention of 'chemistry,' but that  
doesn't seem to be enough. Maybe Gotoh just didn't care... or perhaps he  
was afraid someone might go snooping through his books, and didn't want to  
risk it being someone who might harm said relationship. Come to think of  
it, the officer reading the book could be just the sort of person Gotoh was  
avoiding mention of the relationship for. Oh, well- next entry.  
  
"Kanuka Clancy  
  
"Reputed to be the best patlabor pilot in the world. Honestly, I think Noa  
Izumi will probably be better than she is, but at the moment I guess that  
she's a little better. An American who's joined our unit temporarily. In  
theory, to learn our 'tactics' or some bullshit like that. The truth is  
she's being exiled for a temper- she and Ohta think a little alike. I'm  
going to make her Ohta's command car operator- the two of them might hit it  
off, you never know. She DOES have a lot of skills outside of being good  
with labors. She seems to be trying to out-Japanese us Japanese. She even  
speaks our language better than her native one! Rather arrogant about her  
abilities, however. She'll only be staying with us for 6 months.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"6/24/99- Went back to America.  
  
"8/4/99- Kanuka's come back for a little while, to help us out while  
Takeo's in the hospital. Should be interesting.  
  
"8/12/99- Back to America.  
  
"9/15/99- Kanuka's back AGAIN. This time, it's to help us with E. Hoba  
problem. Good thing, too, since Kumagami's in Hong Kong, pursuing a lead  
on the guy who shot her.  
  
"9/20/99- Back to America.  
  
"10/7/99- Kanuka showed up again, with her Grandmother. I think her  
grandmother's planning to move here in a few months.  
  
"10/11/99- Kanuka helped us out with the Black Labor again.  
  
"10/15/99- Back to America.  
  
"11/18/99- Kanuka was able to join us for the first unit vacation. Takeo  
was there, too- and BOY did the sparks fly. Both of them were involved in  
a contest of one-upmanship (poor Ohta- he got the worst of it from the both  
of them!) that I was a little concerned would end in a serious catfight.   
It ended peacefully, however  
  
"11/20/99- Back to America.  
  
"12/26/99- Back here to participate in Gomioka's promotion ceremony.   
Sometimes I wonder why her home police department keeps letting her go,  
considering how good a cop she is.  
  
"12/31/99- Kanuka's asked for a position in our unit because her  
Grandmother's dying and she wants to be able to stay in Japan and look  
after her. I can't do anything, myself, but I was able to make  
arrangements for a unit of the street cops to take her in temporarily. She  
doesn't like the idea, though.  
  
"1/7/00- She's back in the SV2, having been given her old job back of  
taming Ohta in Unit 3. Heh... well, she got what she wanted, I guess."  
  
The reader chuckled. 'Taming' Ohta- yeah, that sounded like the position  
his command car officer would be given.  
  
"Takeo Kumagami," the next page read.  
  
"A supercop, sort of like Kanuka but without the background in labors.   
Terrified of the supernatural. Looks a little like Noa, but with different  
colored hair. Putting her in charge of Ohta for now- she's really more  
interested in using us as a stepping-stone for promotion than anything.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"8/2/99- She's been shot and is in the hospital.  
  
"8/23/99- On duty again. She doesn't seem fully recovered, yet, but  
physically she's fine.  
  
"9/10/99- She took some personal leave to take a trip to Hong Kong. She  
claims she has an idea about the man who shot her.  
  
"9/20/99- She's returned. Apparently, she was unsuccessful. She arrived  
just in time to miss the E. Hoba incident.  
  
"10/11/99- Interesting. She has a connection to this 'Richard Wong'  
character.  
  
"11/18/99- Kanuka showed up for the unit vacation, but the two of them  
didn't exactly get along.  
  
"12/16/99- Odd. I didn't expect her to turn down the promotion we were  
offering. Instead, she claims she wants MY job! She can have it, if she  
wants it."  
  
So, Kumagami wasn't as ambitious about her career as she seemed. The  
reader filed that little bit of information away as being possibly useful  
in the future- there was someone he knew who might be interested in that.   
The man continued reading.  
  
"Koichi Miyagi." Ah! The first of the rookies.  
  
"Enthusiastic. VERY Enthusiastic. Smiles all the time. He's rather  
creepy about it, in fact... I'm glad he's in Shinobu's unit and not mine.   
Labor Pilot."  
  
It was back to short entries with few if any updates, but that was to be  
expected. These were people who hadn't been here nearly as long, and  
weren't as likely to make much of an impact on Gotoh's unit. Next.  
  
"Ueki Mashimo  
  
"Doesn't care about his appearance. Has some sort of rivalry with Yamane  
Seiroku. This is not a happy man. Physically reminds me of Inspector  
Matsui, however. Transport Driver. Assigned to Unit 1."  
  
"Updates:  
  
"1/28/00- Heard the OFFICIAL story of his and Seiroku's rivalry. Not sure  
I believe it, though. Getting into a fight because someone turned in the  
other over some booze? Doesn't seem likely to me."  
  
Next.  
  
"Joudo Ishikawa  
  
"Nice enough guy. Good labor pilot. Has a thing for Natsume Kawai- but  
then, so do all the engineers. They're on the same team, so I guess  
there's a chance something could come of it. They'll just have to hide  
their relationship a bit. Internal affair would have their hide if they  
found out.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"1/6/00- Takeo reports that he was very effective. Imagine, a NORMAL  
police officer piloting one of MY Labors. Unheard of."  
  
Heh, funny. Next.  
  
"Natsume Kawai.  
  
"Er, not much I can say about her. She's... cute. Seems to have attracted  
the attention of the entire mechanics division, and her teamate Joudo  
Ishikawa. So far, only Joudo and Shige seem to be able to attract her  
attention, however.  
  
"Updates:  
  
"12/29/99- Mental note: She and Asuma don't get along well. Probably  
because she nearly killed Noa by accident today, but still...  
  
"1/18/00- The Maintenance Squad nearly killed Asuma on her behalf today.   
Maybe we should think about trading her in with that idol singer who was  
made an honorary part of our unit- Kana, I think her name was- she'd be  
just as popular as Kana, and Kana would be better suited working here than  
she would! Don't have anything against the girl, but she's barely able to  
succeed as a member of the team. I'll have to think about what to do with  
her."  
  
The man reading frowned. Gotoh hadn't mentioned it, but he had a slight  
crush on Natsume, himself. Oh, well- it wasn't likely that Gotoh was going  
to be able to replace her any time soon. Next.  
  
"Yoshi Tobe  
  
"Transport Driver, Unit 3. Don't know anything about him."  
  
Heh... oh, well. Next.  
  
"Kenji Iguchi  
  
"Oops- I made this page to write about him when I got his file, and forgot  
to put anything on it. Oh, well- I'll remember to come back to it later.   
No time, now."  
  
It looked as if Gotoh STILL forgot to write anything about the guy. From  
what the reader knew, he was a totally non-descript man. Totally  
forgettable. It was almost as if the gods had decided to toss in one extra  
person to put in situations where just one more man was needed. Oh, well,  
it seemed pretty obvious there wasn't much of importance about him.  
  
Now, for the last entry.  
  
"Yamane Seiroku.  
  
"Interesting guy. He REALLY wanted to be a labor pilot, from what I heard,  
but instead we had to assign him to be a command car operator. I think  
Gomioka's talked to him, and decided to make him the pilot for the third  
labor. His placement match was a little wierd- his first opponent's labor  
was defective. I'd almost say it looked like sabatoge, but I've been  
assured that isn't possible. Part of unit 3. Very competant. Could be  
the next Kanuka or Takeo as a command car operator. Has a rivalry with  
Ueki Mashimo.  
  
"1/28/00- If this is really why he and Ueki got into such a fued, I pity  
his nose. Broken HOW many times, now- and by the same person? Poor guy.  
  
"2/20/00- Gomioka has put him up for a commendation for excellence in the  
Quartermaster's Building break-in. First time I've ever known a Captain in  
the SV2 to put their officers up for commendation to the high command-  
usually, that's done by public relations. Honestly, I think Noa and Asuma  
both deserve commendations more than him, but I may approve the  
recommendation to boost Gomioka's morale. He needs a pat on the back for  
finally getting his act together as captain. However, I think Mr.  
Seiroku-"  
  
The door opened, and the officer shut the book before anyone could catch  
him reading it.  
  
"Hello. What are you doing here?" Captain Gomioka said, entering the room.  
  
"Finishing up a report, sir," the officer replied. "I was looking for a  
stapler, and knocked some things off of Captain Gotoh's desk."  
  
Gomioka nodded. "Carry on, then."  
  
The officer placed the book back on Captain Gotoh's desk, breathing a sigh  
of relief. He didn't want to get caught reading that book... not that  
there was really anything that private in there, but it probably wasn't  
anything that Gotoh wanted anyone else to read. It was rather interesting,  
however. Oh, well... now, where to find a stapler?  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: An unusual theft from Shinohara Industries has brought in  
some of the members of the second section to investigate- namely, Noa and  
Asuma. Instead of helping the investigation, though, they're appropriated  
by Asuma's father for a little tete-a-tete.  
  
  
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desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  



	14. Episode 14: A Meeting with the Wolf

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Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 14: A Meeting With the Wolf  
February 29, 2000  
  
Sakaki walked out onto the catwalk, surveying the work that was going on.  
  
"Shige!" he barked, noticing something wrong.  
  
"Yes, chief?"  
  
"You missed a spot!"  
  
"Sorry, chief!"  
  
Shige buffed clean the dirty sensor, sighing.  
  
"Much better, Shige," Sakaki acknowledged.  
  
"Thank god Noa and Asuma are supposed to be back today," Shige muttered. "I  
won't have to keep waxing Alphonse any more."  
  
"Shige!" Sakaki roared.  
  
Shige flinched. "Yes, chief!"  
  
"Don't forget to clean the monitors inside!"  
  
"Right, chief."  
  
Sigh.  
  
*****  
  
"Well," the doctor said, looking over the results of Noa's physical.   
"Looks like we can clear you for light duty today. If you keep up this  
rate of recovery, and don't strain yourself, you should be completely fine  
in two weeks."  
  
"So, no Alphonse?" Noa pouted.  
  
"Er... Alphonse?" the doctor asked.  
  
"Her labor," Asuma explained simply.  
  
"I see," the doctor replied, though clearly he didn't. "No, I'm afraid  
not. No Alphonse for two weeks."  
  
Noa sniffed sadly. "I miss him," she whimpered. Asuma squeezed her  
shoulder reassuringly. Hopefully, she asked, "Are you sure? Can't I even  
take him out for a spin, if I don't do anything strenuous in him?"  
  
"Er...." The doctor wasn't entirely sure what to do. The woman looked so  
desperate for the ability to use her labor, that he was reluctant to say  
no, but he would be lying if he said it was entirely safe.  
  
"How about if she were to sit in Alphonse's cabin, but not use him?" Asuma  
suggested.  
  
"That would be acceptable," the doctor said, grateful for having an option  
over COMPLETELY disappointing the girl.  
  
Noa nodded. "Good. Come on, Asuma- let's get back to headquarters. I  
want to make sure the mechanics squad has been taking good care of them  
while I was gone."  
  
"Gaack!" Asuma choked out, staggering after Noa as she dragged him off by  
the shirt.  
  
The doctor shook his head as they went. "Cute couple, but wierd girl. Oh,  
well- next!"  
  
In walked a man with square-rimmed glasses, smiling so widely his eyes were  
almost obscured by his cheeks. "Hello... I don't suppose you caught the  
name of that young couple that just left, did you?"  
  
The doctor nodded. "Yes, I did- why?"  
  
"Oh, I think I've met them before, but we've never been formally  
introduced. Oh, well. I suspect I'll meet them again later- we do seem to  
keep running into each other."  
  
*****  
  
The car drove up into the Division 2 Parking lot. Asuma helped Noa out and  
they slowly made their way in the building. Asuma blinked- it was dark,  
though he thought he saw movement in the shadows. Cautiously, he switched  
on the lights.  
  
Lined up from the doorway straight to Alphonse was the entire mechanics  
squad. Shige, with a stern-faced Chief Sakaki behind him, were waiting at  
the end of the line. Walking slowly while taking in the surprising  
turn-out, Noa and Asuma slowly made their way over to the two senior  
mechanics. As they did, the mechanics burst out into cheers and applause.  
  
"Welcome back, Noa!" Shige said, clapping her on the arm. "We've been  
keeping Alphonse clean and ready, just for you!"  
  
Watching from the catwalk, Shinobu turned to Gotoh and said, "The mechanics  
sure are enthusiastic about her return."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Of course. After all, thanks to Sakaki tutoring Noa in the  
basics of mechanics, she's becoming one of them. Besides, I think that  
Shige's a little glad that he won't have to buff and wax labor 1 any more."  
  
Shinobu raised an eyebrow. "I thought Noa was only approved for light  
duty."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Yep. Do you really think that's going to stop her from  
babying her pet labor, though?"  
  
Shinobu didn't have a chance to respond before Hiromi came up behind them.   
"Captain Gotoh, sir- was a call for you. I picked it up- we're getting  
something faxed to us."  
  
"Who is it from?" Gotoh asked, still keeping his eyes on the jubilant  
mechanics and the bewildered couple.  
  
"Someone from headquarters, sir, requesting two of our officers by name for  
a special detached assignment."  
  
Gotoh was a little surprised at that one. "Oh?"  
  
*****  
  
"I'm sorry, Alphonse- I wish I could take you out to stretch your legs, but  
the doctor says I'm not allowed to.... I missed you, Alphonse, did you  
miss me?"  
  
Asuma, sitting on the platform next to the labor's cockpit, rolled his eyes  
as Noa cooed over Alphonse. He didn't really blame her- after all, it had  
been a little more than a month since she was able to even see Alphonse  
(she'd refused to see him on the Valentines day she'd visited the  
headquarters, since she wouldn't be allowed to touch him then). Still, for  
some reason he couldn't identify it was starting to get on his nerves.   
Perhaps it was the sheer enormity of the affection she was displaying for a  
mere hunk of metal and circuitry, but for the first time he could remember  
he was honestly starting to get annoyed at Alphonse.  
  
Or maybe jealous, though he would never admit it.  
  
"Shinohara!" Gotoh's voice rang out from the railing above. "Could you an  
Noa please come to my office?"  
  
'Finally!' Asuma thought to himself. 'I won't have to put up with this  
anymore!'  
  
"Can't I have a few more minutes?" Noa whimpered.  
  
Asuma looked at her in the cockpit, her eyes wide and begging. "Captain,  
could we have five more minutes?" he asked.  
  
"Make it ten- this isn't that important," Gotoh answered.  
  
"Thank you, sir!" Asuma replied. 'The things I put up with for that  
girl...'  
  
*****  
  
Gotoh waited patiently at his desk until Noa and Asuma walked in. Noa was  
sighing wistfully as she walked in, but Asuma looked a little relieved.  
  
"Ah, finally. I trust you've had enough time to start readjusting  
yourselves to being back on the facilities?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Asuma replied quickly, not giving Noa a chance to say that she  
wanted more time with Alphonse.  
  
"Good. Noa, I know you are only cleared for light duty, but you and  
Shinohara were both specifically requested for a particular assignment.   
I'm told that this mission shouldn't involve any strenuous work, but you  
have my permission to hold back if you think something it going to be too  
difficult for you," Gotoh noted.  
  
"Thank you, sir," Noa said.  
  
"What's the assignment?" Asuma asked.  
  
Gotoh handed him a folder. "Everything you need to know is in there."  
  
Asuma opened the folder and read for a few seconds. His eyes widened.   
"You CAN'T be serious," he growled, slamming the folder back down on  
Gotoh's desk.  
  
"I am," Gotoh said. "I'm afraid that this is not an option for you,  
Shinohara. It's only an option for Noa because of her injuries. These  
orders come from the police commissioners office, itself."  
  
Noa, curious as to what all the fuss was about, picked up the folder and  
read it for herself.  
  
"The investigation of the assault against the Quartermasters Corps. on the  
20th of February by unknown forces has resulted in the discovery of the  
theft of the classified technical documentation of a number of Shinohara  
Heavy Industries productions, namely those for the Ingram, Peacemaker, and  
various preliminary designs for the Mass Production models. It is  
requested that you send officers Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara to liason  
with Mr. Okami Shinohara of Shinohara Heavy Industries at his private  
residence located at..."  
  
So that was it. Asuma's father was involved. Of course he wouldn't want  
to deal with this sort of assignment. Quickly, Noa skimmed the rest of the  
orders- apparently, they were only supposed to discuss the details of the  
case, and didn't necessarily need to figure out who it was who had engaged  
in the theft. That was not so strange, but the selection of who it was to  
ask these questions was.  
  
"Captain Gotoh?" Noa queried. "Why are they asking US to conduct this  
interview, anyway? I mean, we're just labor operatives- investigations  
like this aren't our job."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "You two were specifically requested, however. I suspect it  
has something to do with Asuma's family connections."  
  
Noa nodded. "That makes sense- it explains him. But why ME? What do I  
have to do with any of this?"  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "I don't know. If you want, you CAN refuse the  
assignment...."  
  
Noa shook her head. "No... I'm not able to pilot Alphonse, so I might as  
well have something to do while I'm restricted to light duties."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Very well. You two might as well get going. I'll expect a  
report when you get back on the third."  
  
Asuma didn't look happy, but nodded and turned to leave. "Come on, Noa...  
we'll take my personal car- it's more comfortable than the command car and  
it's a six hour drive between here and dad's place."  
  
*****  
  
Noa looked at Asuma in concern as he drove the car through the streets of  
downtown Tokyo in silence. They'd been on the road for almost an hour and  
a half already, and so far he hadn't spoken one word since leaving Gotoh's  
office. His face took on a very dark look, and she was starting to get  
worried.  
  
"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" Noa asked, trying to get him to say  
anything, even if it was just the word 'yes.'  
  
Without answering, Asuma reached for the controls to the stereo and flipped  
it to some station playing 50's American Rock and Roll. Noa sighed- that  
didn't work as she'd planned. It was time to be blunt.  
  
"Asuma, what's wrong? I thought you and your father worked things out last  
time you saw him...."  
  
Asuma blinked. "No... we didn't work things out. We got along better than  
we had in years, but we didn't really work anything out."  
  
"Well... well, maybe that's a good sign. Maybe you'll get along this time,  
as well?" Noa suggested hopefully.  
  
Asuma half-smiled. "Maybe. I doubt it, though."  
  
"Wouldn't it be easier to get along better with him if you go into your  
meeting hoping for things to go well?"  
  
Asuma nodded quietly. "Yes, it would. And, believe it or not, I am. But  
there's something I'm even more afraid of than just us 'not getting along.'  
A couple of things, actually."  
  
Noa blinked. "Really? What?"  
  
Asuma took a deep breath. "I'm afraid of what he might do to you- I'm  
afraid he'll start controlling you like he's tried controlling everyone  
else he's ever met. And I'm afraid that if he tries, I'll get into a  
serious fight with him, and I don't want you to see me like that- it can  
get rather ugly real quickly."  
  
Noa's eyes widened, and she started looking straight ahead instead of at  
him. She hadn't even considered the possibility of her presence CAUSING  
fights between Asuma and his father- she'd always envisioned brokering a  
peace that would END the fights between them. In fact, that was partly why  
she'd taken this assignment instead of declining it to stay near Alphonse.  
  
"I'm sorry, Asuma. I didn't mean to cause you any problems," Noa said  
after a moment.  
  
Asuma laughed. "That's okay, Noa- you cause me plenty of other problems.   
I'm used to it by now- one more problem won't matter."  
  
Noa glared at him. "Hey! That's not nice!" She wasn't really upset,  
however- rather, she was relieved. Asuma was almost back to normal- well,  
at least he was almost back to being a pretty normal jerk, which come to  
think of it WAS pretty normal for him.  
  
*****  
  
It was getting dark when Asuma drove up to the Shinohara Mansion and  
parked.  
  
Asuma stepped out and opened the door for Noa. "Come on- we're probably   
supposed to go in through the side door. The front door is reserved for   
'important' people. Tsukai will let us in."  
  
Noa got out of the car. "Tsukai?"  
  
"The chief of my father's servants. He's been around as long as I can  
remember- probably since my grandfather was still alive and in his prime.   
He and Jitsuyama were more like fathers to me than dad ever was."  
  
Noa clucked, but didn't say anything. She'd noticed that he'd started  
becoming more somber the closer they got to the house, but didn't know what  
to do about it.  
  
Asuma paused at the door and turned to her, but refused to meet her eyes.  
  
"Noa," he said hesitantly. "Please... don't hold whatever happens against  
me."  
  
Noa blinked. "Huh?"  
  
"I don't know what you think is going to happen this trip- you may be  
expecting to have some fun, to find out what my father's really like, maybe  
even to see if you can patch the two of us up. Well, I don't know what  
it's really going to be like, either, but I suspect that there'll be a  
number of times you won't see me at my best. Just... don't hold it against  
me. That's all I ask."  
  
Without waiting for an answer, Asuma rang the doorbell. Trying to answer  
anyway, Noa reached over and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Asuma  
tentatively squeezed back, but quickly dropped his hand the moment the door  
started to open.  
  
The elder of the two Shinoharas, Okami, stood there, smiling benevolently.   
"Hello, son. Hello, Ms. Izumi. Welcome- I was expecting you. Come on in,  
come on in...."  
  
Asuma blinked. "Um... hi, dad. Where's Tsukai?"  
  
Mr. Shinohara stepped aside, gesturing for his son and Noa to step in.   
"Taking care of the last-minute details behind dinner. I know it's been a  
long trip- you haven't eaten yet, have you?"  
  
Asuma almost answered 'yes' just out of spite, but his and Noa's matching  
stomach growls at the thought of food made it too obvious that they hadn't.  
"Er, I guess we could eat a bite or two," he admitted, taking off his  
shoes and putting them in the cubbies. Noa did the same.  
  
Okami started leading them to the dining room. "After dinner, I'll show  
you two to your rooms, where you can catch up on what I expect is some  
much-needed sleep. Business can wait until tomorrow- there's no need to  
rush. I know that you've been given several days to discuss the matter of  
these stolen documents with me, which is much more time than we'll need."  
  
Asuma wasn't sure how to answer. His father wasn't acting anything like  
how he was used to him acting- this was incredibly strange.  
  
"Here we are," Mr. Shinohara announced upon arriving at the dinner table.   
"Asuma, you sit here. Ms. Izumi, you might as well sit here. I'll go  
check with Tsukai to see how dinner is coming along and to make certain  
your bags get taken to the rooms." With that, he left.  
  
Noa turned to look at Asuma as they took their seats next to each other.   
"He certainly doesn't seem to be as bad as you make him out to be."  
  
Asuma nodded. "He's never acted this way to me, before. He's probably  
trying to impress you." He paused. "I forgot to say that you should be  
careful what you say here- Dad sometimes bugged random rooms to find out  
what I or my brother were talking about when he wasn't around."  
  
Noa raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but didn't say anything. A few moments  
later, Okami returned with Tsukai and a number of other servants who were  
carrying trays full of food and drink.  
  
"Well, it looks like dinner's ready," he announced in his most gracious  
voice. "I believe it is time for us to eat."  
  
*****  
  
The meal itself was a rather peaceful affair. Mr. Shinohara avoided  
talking to his son and instead concentrated on playing the gracious host  
with Noa- not really talking about anything important, but discussion  
little things like the dinner they were having, the weather, and various  
things like that.  
  
Despite the seeming innocence of all this, Asuma noticed something about  
his father's behavior. While Okami was encouraging everyone to drink, he  
himself was leaving the wine alone. Asuma, not certain what his father was  
planning, decided that under no circumstances would he get drunk that  
night.  
  
Noa, herself, didn't notice that anything was wrong at all. She was  
enjoying the meal, and while she preferred sake to the western wines that  
Tsukai kept filling her glass with, she drank like you would expect the  
daughter of a liquor store owner to drink- like a fish. She was long  
passed tipsy by the time she'd finished the main course, and she was  
downright drunk when she'd gotten through dessert- not that she realized  
it.  
  
Tsukai and the other servants gathered the dirty dishes and disappeared  
with a nod to Okami. Standing up, the elder Shinohara said, "Well, why  
don't I show you two to your rooms."  
  
Noa tried to get up and follow him, but the wine quickly made its presence  
felt, and she nearly collapsed onto the table. Asuma, who had no such  
problems, quickly caught her before she fell.  
  
"Thanksh, Ash'ma. How'd that 'appen?" she giggled.  
  
Okami looked suitably embarassed for her. "Oh, dear.... Asuma, would you  
kindly help her?"  
  
Asuma glared at his father- he was fairly certain that the older man had  
been trying to get them drunk, but Noa DID need to be helped to somewhere  
where she could lie down, and so there was little he could say about it.   
"Of course I will." Putting her arm over his shoulders and slipping his  
arm under her arms, he helped Noa to stand up and supported her as they  
walked after his father.  
  
"I'm putting you two in the adjoining guest rooms- that way, if you two  
want to talk about anything over the night, you won't have far to go."  
  
Asuma knew better than to talk about anything important in his father's  
house, but there was something about where he was being placed that  
disturbed him. "A guest room? You're putting me in a guest room?"  
  
Okami nodded. "Sorry, son, but I'm afraid there really isn't a choice.   
The part of the house your room is in is being remodeled, so I can't put  
you in there. Besides...."  
  
"Besides?"  
  
Mr. Shinohara coughed. "Er, nothing...."  
  
Asuma growled. He knew his father was hiding his real reason for putting  
him up in the guest room, but he also knew that it was hopeless to try and  
get it out of the older man.  
  
"Anyway," Okami said. "Here we are. I assume you can help her into bed on  
your own?"  
  
"Er...." That threw Asuma for a loop. He looked over at the drunken Noa,  
but she was too out of it to understand what was going on. He looked back  
at his father, who had already started on his way down the hall. "Right,"  
he muttered to himself.  
  
Struggling to continue supporting Noa, he opened the door to the closest  
room and half-carried, half-dragged her inside. Setting her giggling form  
down on the bed, he began searching the room. He found a few pieces of  
luggage in the closet which, thankfully, were Noa's and not his- he'd taken  
her to the right room.  
  
Asuma walked over to Noa on the bed. "Do you think you can get yourself  
ready for bed?"  
  
"Yep. Yep- I think so, yep." Noa said, nodding enthusiastically before  
passing out.  
  
Asuma sighed, looking her over. "Great, now what do I do?" Blushing, he  
considered changing her into her pajamas himself, but decided that she  
probably wouldn't like it if he did that. Instead, he just slipped her  
under the covers and made certain that she was lying in a comfortable  
position. Then, just like he had every night when she was off duty, he  
gave her a quick peck on the forehead to say goodnight.  
  
*****  
  
Watching with surveillance cameras from another room, Okami Shinohara  
raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Yes, he definitely needs me to help get them  
together."  
  
Tsukai, sitting with him, cleared his throat. "Are you sure that's a good  
idea, sir? You know that he has an inordinate amount of distrust in you  
and your motives."  
  
"He's still just an ungrateful kid," Okami argued. "He doesn't know what's  
best for him, and I doubt he ever will. But it's obvious he likes this  
girl- he surely won't mind if we get them together. And they don't really  
need to know I'm doing it."  
  
Tsukai shifted uncomfortably. "What about the girl, sir?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"What if the girl doesn't like Asuma, sir? She isn't your daughter- you  
really don't have the right to interfere with how she acts."  
  
"I'm the head of one of the largest industrial companies in all of Japan,  
if not the world! I could BUY that girl if I so chose. I-"  
  
"You are forgetting that we live in a society where people cannot be bought  
and sold, sir," Tsukai admonished. "And you are forgetting that emotions  
don't take kindly to being forced. You might have an easier time of it if  
you find out how she feels about him, first."  
  
Mr. Shinohara glared up at his servant. "You know, you're the only person  
on this planet who could get away with speaking in that tone to me."  
  
Tsukai nodded. "And sometimes you need me to say things in that tone, sir,  
to prevent you from acting stupidly."  
  
Okami nodded. "Sometimes." Looking back at the monitors, where Noa slept  
peacefully and Asuma started getting ready for bed in his own room, he  
sighed. "Okay, we'll do it your way. Tomorrow, I'll try and talk to Ms.  
Izumi during breakfast, and find out how she feels. But as long as she  
doesn't hate him, I'm going to put the two of them together. I could see  
how my son feels for her- and you told me you found The Scarf in her  
luggage, so I know he gave it to her. If a member of my family gets that  
devoted to a girl, I'll make certain that he gets her. It's for their own  
good."  
  
Tsukai's face remained impassive, though there was a flicker of some  
unidentifiable emotion in his eyes as he remembered Mr. Shinohara ignoring  
his advice one time before- a time which resulted in the suicide of Asuma's  
brother. At least he wasn't completely ignoring it this time, but unless  
this Noa girl actually liked the younger Shinohara, this was likely to be a  
rather nasty few days.  
  
*****  
  
March 1, 2000  
  
It was pretty early in the morning when Noa found that someone was trying  
to shake her awake. It wasn't a very pleasant sensation... she had a mild  
headache- no, make that a hangover- and her stomach wasn't feeling at its  
best, either. There was only one person who would be rude enough to wake  
her up when she was feeling like this, and she was ready to make that  
person regret the day that they were born.  
  
"Go away and let me sleep in, Asuma" she grumped, promising herself that  
she'd get that revenge when she was actually able to get up.  
  
Tsukai coughed. "I am terribly sorry about awakening you, but I am not my  
employer's son. Instead, I am here to awaken you and prepare you for the  
day- Mr. Shinohara believed that you might need my special hangover cure  
before breakfast."  
  
Noa's stomach churned at the thought of food. "Ugh... okay, okay. Let me  
change first, though," she said, not even opening her eyes.  
  
Tsukai nodded. "Very good, Ma'am. I'll be waiting outside to take you to  
the tea room. You'll find your luggage in the closet, and the lavatory is  
on your right." He slipped out of the room and closed the door with a  
slight click.  
  
Blearily, Noa sat up, using the caution gained from hangovers past to keep  
herself from getting too noxious. Opening her eyes for the first time, she  
noticed that, despite being under the covers, she'd slept in her clothes.   
Carefully surveying her surroundings, she noticed that the room she was in  
had a closet, a bed, a nightstand, and three doors. Otherwise, it was  
incredibly sparse.  
  
Thinking carefully, she started remembering the previous night. "Oh, yeah-  
I'm being put up in one of the guest rooms. Poor Asuma, having to carry me  
all the way up here... and then I passed out after I told him I could get  
myself ready for bed." Walking over to the closet, she began going through  
her luggage. "I wonder if he thought about putting me in my pajamas  
himself." she giggled... and immediately regret it, as it caused her  
splitting headache to almost double. Recovering, she completed her  
thought. "I wonder what I would have done to him if he had."  
  
Pulling out a fresh set of clothes, she disappeared into the bathroom.   
Emerging a couple minutes later, feeling a little better though still  
undergoing the effects of the previous night's alcohol, she walked to the  
center of the room. "Now... which door is the one into the hallway?"   
  
Deciding to go by trial and error, she opened the door on the left.   
Stepping out, she quickly realized she had made a mistake- though not a bad  
one, by any means. In fact, she almost thought of it as a happy mistake,  
because she was able to see Asuma sleeping.  
  
While he'd seen her sleeping a number of times, it was really the first  
time she'd had a chance to watch him... well, to watch him sleeping in a  
bed or some other item MEANT for sleeping on. During that stake-out,  
niether one of them had succeeded in falling asleep. In the hotel room for  
the engineering convention, he'd always fallen asleep last and woken up  
first. In the hospital, whenever she opened her eyes he was in the chair  
next to her- asleep or not. And any other time she might have had a chance  
to catch him, well, usually he wasn't in a bed.  
  
Greatly daring, she walked over to him and brushed the hair out of his eyes  
with her fingertips. Then, mimicking his actions in the hospital (and,  
unknown to her, the previous night), she bent down and lightly touched her  
lips to his forehead. Then, blushing slightly, she rushed back to her  
room, closing the door between them as quickly and as quietly as she could,  
ignoring the hangover. Exiting out of the correct door, she nodded to  
Tsukai. "Come on, let's try this hangover cure you say you have."  
  
*****  
  
As Noa sipped the bitter tea that Tsukai had prepared for her, Okami  
Shinohara walked into the room. Noticing her sitting at a small table, he  
walked towards her and bowed formally.  
  
"Hello, Ms. Izumi. I'm glad to see you looking so well... especially  
considering how bad my servant said you looked this morning. My apologies-  
I should have warned you about the potency of the wine we were serving."  
  
Noa waved him off. "It's all right. This tea your servant gave me is  
nothing short of miraculous when it comes to eliminating a hangover. Worst  
tasting stuff I've ever drunk, though."  
  
Okami smirked. He'd been given that same brew a few times in the past, and  
he knew exactly how bad it was. "It is rather sour, isn't it?" Taking a  
seat in the chair across from her, he continued, "It looks as though Asuma  
is going to be sleeping in today. That son of mine is so lazy...."  
  
Noa raised an eyebrow. "Usually, he wakes up before I do. He was probably  
even more tired than usual, last night, having been up since early in the  
morning, and having driven around for almost eight hours yesterday."  
  
Okami raised an eyebrow. "Eight hours?"  
  
Noa nodded. "He picked me up at the hospital, and drove two hours to take  
me to base... then it was a six hour trip from headquarters to here. Come  
to think of it, he was probably driving more than eight hours, since he had  
to drive TO the hospital to pick me up."  
  
Mr. Shinohara blinked. "You were in the hospital?"  
  
Noa nodded. "I was injured and had to have surgery- my colon was punctured  
and needed to be repaired. It wasn't even in the line of duty, just a  
silly softball game that was being taken too seriously." Pausing for a  
moment, she thought to put in a word for Asuma while she was at it. "Your  
son was the one who rushed me to the hospital, and he stayed with me during  
the surgery."  
  
Okami nodded. 'I wasn't aware you'd done that, Asuma,' he thought to  
himself. 'You really seem to care about this girl, and you won't do  
anything to win her? Boy, you obviously don't know to look out for  
yourself or you'd be married to her by now... you'd better be thanking me  
for what I'm trying to do for you.'  
  
Smiling at the girl, he said, "That was nice of him. I wonder... you  
probably know him better than I do, now- you've been working with him for  
almost a year- what are your impressions of Asuma?"  
  
Noa blinked- she wasn't entirely certain how to answer that one. This was  
Asuma's FATHER- it wasn't one of her superiors in the police department who  
would get them fired for their relationship, it was a close relative who  
had a right to know something about his son's love life. Maybe it would be  
safe to tell him about said relationship- and she was dying to tell  
someone- ANYONE about their relationship.  
  
Then again, this was ASUMA'S father. Who was THE Shinohara from Shinohara  
Heavy Industries. Who created the two things she most loved in the world-  
Asuma and Alphonse. Who might not like it if the simple daughter of a  
liquor store owner from Hokkaido was dating his son. Asuma still had never  
given her a satisfactory answer as to why he'd never made a move on her  
before she confronted him that day- perhaps it was because he feared his  
father's disapproval.  
  
No, wait- Asuma wanted to defy his father, not seek his approval.  
  
Well, if her boyfriend wanted to defy his father, maybe there was something  
she could do to help him- and that would be to break the news that they  
were dating.  
  
"My impressions? He's a bit bossy at times, he's a bit of a jerk at times,  
and he's a bit insensitive at times, but... but he's never steered me  
wrong, he's mostly bossy for fun, he always comes through in a pinch, and  
he accepts my odd little quirks." She looked Okami straight in the eyes.   
"I think that's why I asked him if we could start dating."  
  
That stopped the elder Shinohara in his tracks. "You... what?"  
  
"Asuma and I've been dating for about two month now... well, actually,  
we've been dating almost since we met, we just didn't realize that was what  
we were doing until a couple months ago."  
  
"That... would that happen to have been the same day he visited me last  
time?"  
  
Noa nodded. "Yeah... he told me about your conversation. But only after I  
confronted him about our relationship."  
  
Okami nodded. "So he told you about his concern with your affection for  
your labor?"  
  
Noa paused and didn't say anything for a moment. "What?" she asked coldly.  
  
Okami cringed back, the ice in her voice intimidating even him. "He...  
said that you seemed to care more about that labor of yours than anything  
else, and that he feared your obsession with this... Alphonse... would make  
any relationship impossible."  
  
"He... did?" she asked. Okami nodded. "Excuse me... I have to go  
somewhere right now. I think I need some fresh air."  
  
Standing up slowly, Noa left the room in a daze.  
  
'Hmm,' Okami thought to himself. 'I think I made a mistake...'  
  
*****  
  
Asuma walked into the tea room, and spotted his father, looking a little  
distressed. "Hey, dad- have you seen Noa anywhere? She wasn't in her room  
when I went to wake her up."  
  
The elder Shinohara hesitated. "Um... I think she said she was going to  
try and find some fresh air."  
  
Asuma sighed. "Well, I guess she doesn't have to be here for this... let's  
get started with this interview."  
  
Okami acted as if he hadn't even heard his son. "Asuma... why didn't you  
tell me that the two of you had started going out?"  
  
Asuma coughed. "It isn't any of your business WHO I'm dating. How'd you  
find out?"  
  
"She told me."  
  
"Oh, well- we were trying to keep it a secret, but... but you ARE my  
father. I guess it's all right for you to know. But we can talk about  
this later- business first. Do you have any clue why those particular  
plans were stolen."  
  
Mr. Shinohara growled- he had something important to tell his son, and like  
he usually did when he talked with his son he got angry. "Business?   
Please- I can cover the business in a matter of seconds- I just pulled some  
strings with the police commissioner to get you and Ms. Izumi here so I  
could see if I could help you out with getting something started with her."  
Asuma's eyes widened in shock. "Why would people take those plans? I  
dunno- maybe because they include much of the advanced technology that we  
include in all of our police and military grade labors. Who might do it?   
Any other company building labors or looking into building labors. Only  
people I could think of which would have the resources for that would by  
Shaft Enterprises or one of their subsidiaries. Anything else you might  
want to ask? No? Good. Now, back to that girl of yours; I think that  
I've accidentally gotten you in trouble with her when I-"  
  
"Wait a second!" Asuma cried, recovering. "You did WHAT? You mean this  
whole thing is just you making one of your shady deals with the  
commissioner? Why?! Did you stage the whole attack, too?" Suddenly,  
something else his father said clicked. "And what the hell did you do to  
get me in trouble with Noa?"  
  
"I told her something you should have talked with her about months ago- I  
told her about your concerns regarding that labor of hers."  
  
Asuma blinked. "You told her WHAT? Dammit- why the hell did you say  
something about that?" Turning away, he said, "We'll be leaving by  
lunchtime. If you ever want to see me again, you'd better hope I can patch  
things up with her."  
  
*****  
  
Noa, sitting on a rock outside of the mansion, watched as Asuma spotted her  
and ran up, waving.  
  
"Noa, there you are," he said breathlessly. "I've been looking all over  
for you."  
  
"Why, hello Asuma," Noa said with forced calm. "You'll never guess what  
your father and I talked about not too long ago."  
  
'Oh, damn- she's pissed,' Asuma thought to himself.  
  
"See, you told your father something you should've told me a long time ago.  
And he told that thing to me."  
  
Asuma nodded. "Yes, I did. And I'm sorry."  
  
Noa glared at him. "Is that all you have to say- I'm SORRY?"  
  
"What more can I say? I was afraid that Alphonse was too important to you  
for you to let me into your life. It wasn't even something I was aware of  
consciously, until my father asked me why I wasn't making a move on you.   
But now I know you ARE able to care about me, and not just Alphonse. It  
wasn't an issue any more, and I was afraid you'd take it the wrong way. So  
I never brought it up."  
  
Noa raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Not an issue any more? Are you  
sure about that? Are you COMPLETELY certain that you aren't even the least  
bit jealous of Alphonse? Are you?"  
  
Asuma opened his mouth but clamped it shut before he said anything. He  
just couldn't bring himself to answer 'yes.'  
  
Noa sighed. "See? It's an issue still. You should have told me about  
it."  
  
Asuma sighed. "Well, what do you expect? You spend so much time and  
lavish so much attention on that labor, I STILL don't know if you care more  
about it or me. You've already said that he fills a part of your heart I  
don't- of COURSE I'm jealous! But I don't want you to get rid of Alphonse  
or anything- it's part of who you are. Just like you accepted me being a  
jerk to you sometimes, I accepted having to be jealous over a labor. So  
what is talking to you about it going to do?"  
  
Noa tensed, gathering herself. "Maybe talking to me is going to reassure  
you. Asuma... if we ever... if we ever get to the point where we get  
married and have kids, will you react the same way if I lavish attention on  
them instead of you, the same way I do with Alphonse?"  
  
Asuma shook his head. "No, but we aren't married."  
  
"And Alphonse isn't a kid- he's a labor. At most, he's a pet. I love him,  
but there's no way I could care more about him than I could care for a  
person. If I had to choose between Alphonse and you, believe me- I'll  
choose you."  
  
Asuma took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then slowly let it out.   
Re-opening his eyes, a slight smile appeared on his face. "Hmm... is this  
our first official fight?"  
  
Noa blinked. "I think so...."  
  
Asuma's smile widened slightly. "You won. Don't get used to it, though-  
you can bet I'll win the next one."  
  
"What do you mean I won?"  
  
"Noa... I think, for the first time, I really know that you like me more  
than Alphonse. Thank you." Pulling her into his arms, he tenderly kissed  
her forehead. "Now, according to everything I know about fighting with  
girlfriends, the best part is making up. So whadya say to leaving this  
place and having a night out on the town? My treat?"  
  
Noa blinked. "But our job-"  
  
"Is taken care of. Come on- pack your bags. We're leaving. We've don't  
need to be back at headquarters for several days- we've got plenty of time  
for a date. That's an order, from backup to forward!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" she said, saluting with a smile.  
  
*****  
  
Viewing the scene outside from another of his hidden cameras, Tsukai  
smiled. "See, sir? Talking to her DID help."  
  
"Help? I damn near ruined it!" Okami said.  
  
"Yes, but only because you brought something out into the open that would  
have festered and weakened their relationship if nothing had been done  
about it," Tsukai noted. "Asuma won't appreciate it, but you did a good  
job today, sir."  
  
"Asuma wouldn't have appreciated it, anyway," Okami noted gruffly. "But  
thank you, Tsukai."  
  
Watching Asuma put his arm around Noa and lead her off on the monitor,  
Tsukai smiled. "It was worth it, sir."  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: Shinohara's Ex-girlfriend from high school, Kashima, shows  
up after he gets a little nervous and cuts things off rather abruptly when  
he and Noa are getting a little romantic. Why is he so nervous, and why  
did she decide to show up now?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  



	15. Episode 15: Haunted Love

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 15: Haunted Love  
March 1, 2000  
  
Noa put her last bag into the trunk of Asuma's car. It seemed odd to her  
that only two hours before she had been angry with him, learning from his  
father over breakfast that he was jealous of Alphonse.  
  
It was still morning. They'd finished breakfast shortly after their little  
fight (avoiding Mr. Shinohara in the process) before packing up their  
belongings, and were finally about to leave. It was then that Noa thought  
to ask what they were going to do.  
  
Asuma shrugged in response to her question. "Well, when we got the  
assignment I was thinking that we'd probably finish early, so I figured we  
might want go to a nearby bar and get drunk- I was pretty sure I'd need it.  
I've changed my mind about that, though." With that, he ducked into the  
driver's seat.  
  
Noa smiled, getting into the car. "Good. I'm not sure I like you drunk."  
  
Asuma blinked, looking over at her as he buckled the seatbelt. "You  
don't?"  
  
"LAST time you got drunk around me, you asked me if you could pick on me!"  
  
Asuma smirked, starting the car. "I don't see what the problem is. It  
seems to me that I'm MORE polite when I'm drunk."  
  
"Whadya mean by that?" Noa asked.  
  
"If I hadn't been drunk, I probably wouldn't have asked."  
  
"Why, you!" Noa growled playfully.  
  
Asuma pulled the car out onto the highway before continuing. "Anyway,  
since getting drunk doesn't seem to be a good plan anymore, I figured we  
might want to drive around town and see what's open. We don't have to be  
back at headquarters any time soon, but if we head towards it as we go we  
might be able to cut a few hours off of the trip. At any rate, we'll have  
dinner and a movie tonight before heading back, but I don't really know  
what we CAN do between now and then."  
  
They drove on in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, the car radio on  
in the background, before leaving the suburban area in which the Shinohara  
mansion resided and arriving in the outskirts of downtown Tokyo. Noa,  
looking out the window, spied the listings for what was playing in a movie  
theater, and started idly talking about the lack of any recent good mecha  
movies.  
  
The pleasant conversation that followed lasted until Noa spotted something  
else that caught her attention- a fair.  
  
"Oh, Asuma, look! Why don't we spend the day there? There's bound to be  
plenty of things to do!"  
  
Asuma thought that they were a little old for that sort of thing, but since  
he couldn't think of anything better to do he agreed and parked the car.   
In the end, he had to agree that they weren't too old for it, after all,  
since he found himself having a lot of fun. He tried to win a few prizes  
for Noa- first he tried to catch some koi, but he couldn't keep the catcher  
intact, and then he tried racing to fill balloon up to bursting with a  
water gun, but his aim was terrible. In the end, though, he only was able  
to get her a really small stuffed bear. She didn't seem to mind, giving it  
a great big hug and giving HIM a peck on the cheek for winning it for her.  
  
Despite Noa's best efforts, they hadn't filled up on cotton candy by the  
time dinner rolled around. Instead of going out to a restaurant, though,  
they headed over to one of the food vendors and stayed for the fireworks  
show at the end of the day.  
  
The fireworks were fantastic, lighting up the sky with hundreds of red,  
blue, green, yellow, and white stars which shined off of their features  
around them. Asuma smiled, turning to look at Noa. She was already  
staring intently at him, and he could see the fireworks reflected in her  
eyes.  
  
Asuma read the emotion in those eyes, and swallowed hard. For the first  
time, it struck him- this girl didn't just like him, wasn't just satisfied  
with their casual dates and occasional mild intimacies. She wanted more,  
he could see. For the first time, Asuma realized that Noa was really in  
love with him.  
  
The fireworks ended. Noa continued to stare up into his eyes, even as the  
people around them started milling about to leave. "Asuma," she began.  
  
She was going to tell him- to end all doubt of her feelings. And she was  
going to do it then.  
  
The thought terrified him. 'Oh, god... I'm not ready for this,' he thought  
frantically. 'I never really thought it'd go this far... did I? Oh, no...  
but I can't... I'm not ready!'  
  
Coughing, he turned away. "Come on- it's too late to go to the movies. We  
need to head back to headquarters before it gets too late."  
  
He glanced back at her before moving. Noa still watched him, but her  
expression looked somewhat hurt. As if she knew WHY he wasn't letting her  
tell him. "Asuma?" she asked plaintively.  
  
"We have to go, Noa," he said. "Sorry."  
  
That apology was for more than just having to leave, and he knew that Noa  
understood that. It didn't stop her from still being hurt, however.  
  
Putting up a brave front, she regained some of her cheer. "All right. But  
we'll have to do this again someday. All right?"  
  
She was also asking for more than just the chance to come back one day.   
Asuma understood this, and sighed. "Maybe. We'll see."  
  
*****  
  
The silence of the trip back to SV2 headquarters was worse than it had been  
on the trip to the Shinohara mansion.  
  
Noa was unhappy. She still had no clue what had happened. It had been a  
very good day up until she fireworks show- even the early morning fight had  
been a plus in the end. Things were fine when they left the mansion-  
they'd chatted pleasantly, and Noa certainly hadn't sensed anything wrong  
then.  
  
Then the fair- what had happened there? They'd had a lot of fun- he'd even  
won a teddy bear for her. Sure, it wasn't the largest teddy in the world,  
but then he wasn't really very good at the types of games the fair had- it  
had taken a lot of tries just to get that for her.  
  
Then the fireworks show. The explosions of color that darted the sky  
highlighted his features, and he'd never looked more handsome in her eyes.   
It was the perfect moment, the perfect mood, the perfect time.  
  
Noa realized then that she didn't just 'like' him- it was more, much more.   
It was something she'd never felt for ANYONE before.  
  
And for a brief instant, she thought she saw the same thing in his eyes.  
  
Then it disappeared into an expression of absolute terror. That terror was  
quickly followed by a cancellation of their plans, and then they left. And  
Noa STILL couldn't figure out what happened.  
  
For his part, Asuma wasn't entirely sure what to do about it all. He liked  
Noa- he really did. But love? That was... something different. That  
entailed obligations he wasn't ready for.  
  
That was too much like what happened with Yukie.  
  
Yukie Kashima- the girl he hadn't thought of since, well, since his high  
school reunion, really. The first person he'd come to care about after the  
dead of his brother. He hadn't seen since he'd graduated.  
  
Or had he? He was still never certain of that. He could have sworn he'd  
met her during that reunion. According to his classmates, however, she was  
probably in... where was it again? Hokkaido? At any rate, she was  
supposedly too ill to attend. And when he had gone back to that art  
gallery, he never found her signature in the guest book. Had she been  
there, or not? Had HE even been there?  
  
Come to think of it, Noa was the one who pulled him out of the funk when  
Yukie left again. Or when the dream of Yukie left, whichever it was. He'd  
been standing out in the snow, trying to figure out what next to try to  
find her, and along came Noa. And so he gave up looking for Yukie to hang  
out with Noa.  
  
But still, Yukie was his first love. Very much his first love. She was  
also his first kiss (a very shy first kiss, at that- he hadn't even said a  
word to her by then, she just noticed a sad, shy boy in the corner at a  
party, walked over to him, and gave him a sweet little kiss), and at one  
point he thought she'd one day be his first, er, partner (odd that he'd  
choose that word to think of it, considering he'd ALWAYS thought of Noa as  
a partner- though maybe not in that way). But then she disappeared- she'd  
moved away, without saying good-bye, without leaving a phone number,  
without leaving a forwarding address, without... anything.  
  
And perhaps that was what Asuma was afraid of. That if Noa loved him, he'd  
be obliged to return that love. And everyone he'd loved- his brother, his  
mother, and Yukie- left him. His brother committed suicide, his mother...  
well, he didn't want to get into that. And Yukie just disappeared.  
  
'Damn,' he thought to himself. 'I never should have let this thing with  
Noa get to this point. What do I do? How do I NOT lose her? If I don't  
love her back, I'll lose her... and if I do love her, she'll leave. Gods,  
how did I get into this mess?'  
  
It was thoughts like these, and others, that plagued the young couple for  
the entire trip back to what was, for them, home.  
  
*****  
  
Noa and Asuma reached Gotoh's office just minutes before Unit 2's duty  
session was over. He was rather surprised to see them.  
  
"You two are back early," he said, surprised. "I wasn't expecting you for  
another two days."  
  
Asuma coughed. "Yes, sir. We finished early."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Well, the shift's practically over... but I expect to have  
your report in the morning. See you tomorrow. Dismissed."  
  
Asuma nodded, and left the room. Noa followed.  
  
"Asuma..." she began, concerned.  
  
He shook his head. "Why don't you just go to bed, Noa? I'll take care of  
the report... I won't be able to sleep tonight, anyway. Got too much on my  
mind."  
  
Noa searched for something she could say to reassure him, anything that  
would help him through... whatever it was that was making him so distant.   
"I..."  
  
"Please, Noa?" he begged.  
  
"Okay," she said, reaching out and squeezing one of his hands. It was a  
bold move, considering they were practically out in the open in SV2  
headquarters, but it was something she just needed to do. "But if you need  
me, just get me, okay? I probably won't be able to sleep much, either."  
  
Asuma sighed, watching her leave. She'd been trying to reassure him, but  
all she did was make it more difficult. He was more sure than ever of her  
feelings, and it was starting to hurt not being able to risk returning  
them. Oh, well- there wasn't anything he could do about it just then.   
Maybe if he got his mind off of his romantic problems and set it to  
stretching the five sentences of information he got from his father into a  
ten page report, he'd be clearer the next day when he tried to come up with  
a solution. At any rate, just standing there and looking wistfully at the  
doorway she'd just gone through wasn't helping.  
  
*****  
  
Asuma leaned back in the chair and sighed. He'd finished the report,  
working manically from the moment he sat down, but he still hadn't cleared  
his mind of his problems with Noa. He still didn't know what to do.  
  
"Just tell her," a female voice said from behind him.  
  
Asuma's eyes widened. Spinning around, he found that Yukie Kashima was  
actually standing before him, smiling sadly.  
  
"How did you get in here?" he asked, shocked.  
  
"I was needed here," she answered simply. "You're making a big mistake.   
You need to tell her."  
  
"Tell who? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Noa, silly."  
  
"How do you know about Noa?" he wondered. "I never told you anything about  
her... I'm not even sure I've seen you since I've met her."  
  
Yukie laughed. "You've seen me since you met her... surely you haven't  
forgotten our class reunion, or the trip to the art gallery?"  
  
Asuma paused. Last time he thought he was talking to her, he was mistaken.  
Well, maybe- he still wasn't sure. "Did that really happen?" he asked.  
  
"Sort of," the girl answered mysteriously. "It's a long story. But I do  
know about Noa. I know a lot about you. Some of the things I know about  
you I doubt you even know... or realize, at least."  
  
Asuma frowned. "Oh? Like what?"  
  
Yukie just smiled and shook her head. "Come on- let's go for a walk.   
You're done here."  
  
"Uh... okay," he said, getting up and following her.  
  
She made her way out of the building, walking over to the edge of the  
fishing pier before saying anything else. "Asuma... what happened between  
the two of you? Why did you make her so upset?"  
  
"Huh? Who?"  
  
Yukie bopped him lightly on the forehead. "Noa, silly. I'm here to talk  
to you about her."  
  
Asuma frowned. "How do you know about her? I KNOW I never told you about  
her?"  
  
Yukie sighed. "If you were willing to know, I'm pretty sure you would.   
Now, quit avoiding the question- why'd you make her so upset?"  
  
Asuma sighed himself, sitting down at the pier and dangling his legs over  
the edge. "I'm not really sure how to answer that. I guess part of it  
was... well, you."  
  
Yukie smiled slightly, smoothing out her skirt and jacket and sitting down  
next to him. "I know. That's part of why I'm here... but what I meant  
was, why do you think what you did made her so upset?"  
  
Asuma shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I think it's pretty obvious that she  
loves me. I suspect she's upset because I can't return that love."  
  
"Can't? Why not?"  
  
"Seems pretty obvious to me. If I do, she'll disappear."  
  
"That seems like a pretty silly reason to me- why would she disappear if  
you loved her?" Yukie said. "But suppose it's true- shouldn't you tell her  
about it? Doesn't she deserve to know WHY you can't love her?"  
  
Asuma nodded. "She does... but she wouldn't understand, and I don't know  
how to make her understand. That's why I haven't told her."  
  
"Hmm... so why didn't this ever come up before? You've been dating her for  
months, now- surely you must have realized that it would eventually lead to  
some pretty deep feelings."  
  
Asuma sighed, kicking his legs against the pier. "I never really thought  
about it. It wasn't really my idea to go out at all- it was Noa's. I just  
didn't want to lose what I already had with her."  
  
"Well, you're going to lose something now. The comfort factor between you  
two is gone- she feels rejected, and you can't even explain to her why.   
What IS this nonsense about you losing her if you love her, anyway?"  
  
"I always lose the people I love. I loved my mother, and she left us. I  
loved my brother, and he killed himself. I loved you, and you disappeared  
without even saying good-bye." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just being  
paranoid, but I don't want to risk losing Noa because I love her."  
  
Yukie looked over at him. "You are just being paranoid... AND you've  
misdiagnosed the problem. It was never because you loved them that they  
left, but because they feared the people they loved didn't love them. Your  
mother feared that your father didn't love her, and so she ran off. Your  
brother thought that meant she didn't love him, and without her presence to  
stabilize the hatred he felt for his father, there was nothing to hold him  
back from his ultimate act of defiance. And I... well, if I'd known you  
loved me before... well, I might have been able to stay. I don't know."   
She looked up at him. "At any rate, it wasn't your love that made them  
leave. It was their fear that they were unloved. And right now, Noa is  
VERY afraid you don't love her."  
  
Asuma's eyes widened. "But... I don't. Not yet, anyway- I may one day,  
but I don't yet. That was another reason why I wasn't able to let her tell  
me, yet...."  
  
"Don't you?"  
  
"I... I still love you, Yukie. I like Noa, but... sometimes, it seems like  
I'm worried you'd get jealous of us, and so..."  
  
Yukie laughed sadly. "Asuma... you need to realize you can love both her  
and me. I don't mind. I really don't."  
  
"Yukie... I don't want to settle for Noa if there's still a chance I could  
have you. Is there?"  
  
Yukie sighed. "I just can't do it... it violates the rules, but I can't  
keep it up any longer." She reached out and touched his chest... only she  
didn't touch it, but instead, her hand went through it. "Asuma, I'm dead.   
I went to Hokkaido to go to the hospital. I died only a few months after  
high school."  
  
Asuma's eyes widened as he focused on her arm protruding from his chest.   
"What?!"  
  
"I was sent her to help you out.... Asuma, I can tell you something right  
now. I'm supposed to just let you figure this out, but I'm already  
breaking the rules by letting you know I'm a ghost." She focused on his  
eyes. "Asuma... you do love Noa. More than you ever loved me. The simple  
fact that you're so afraid of losing her should tell you that." She  
laughed slightly. "You're right, though- I am a little jealous. I was in  
love with you in high school, but didn't know how you felt about me. I  
feel what you and Noa have, and WISH it was what I had with you. But it  
isn't... and all I can do is make certain you don't lose it." She bent  
over and kissed his cheek. "Good-bye, Asuma. I have to go now. I'm  
afraid we'll never see each other again, but that's all right."  
  
She faded from sight, leaving him staring where she had been.  
  
*****  
  
Noa woke up. Somehow, she'd dozed off to sleep- she had no idea how, but  
she had. Something was tugging on her now, though- it almost felt like she  
was being pushed out of bed.  
  
She hadn't even changed into her pajamas that night- the second night in a  
row she hadn't, come to think of it. She was hoping, though, that Asuma  
would show up to talk. Now, though, she felt like she was being pulled by  
some spectral hand to find him.  
  
She wanted to check his dorm room, but something told her that he wouldn't  
be there. She moved on, eventually stepping outside. There he was,  
sitting on the fishing pier skipping stones across Tokyo Bay. Cautiously,  
she walked out to him.  
  
"Asuma?" she asked.  
  
He jumped, nearly falling into the water. "Noa!" he cried, desperately  
trying to keep his balance.  
  
Noa grabbed an arm and pulled in an attempt to help him, but it was too  
late. Downwards he plunged, pulling her along with her.  
  
*splash* "Gack!" Noa sputtered, trying to keep from drowning.  
  
"What were you trying to do, Noa? Give me a heart attack!?" Asuma growled,  
spitting out some water as they struggled out of the water.  
  
"I'm sorry, Asuma... I'm sorry!"  
  
As they struggled out of the water, the invisible ghost of Yukie Kashima  
sighed to herself. Oh, well- one opportunity for the two knuckleheads to  
tell each other how they felt was gone, but they'd have more. Many more.   
And she knew, deep in her soul, that they'd say it one day.  
  
If only she could have resisted the temptation to knock them into the bay,  
though...  
--------------------------  
Next Episode: The Second Unit goes on its second annual joint vacation.   
Asuma has something he wants to tell Noa, but will the others get in his  
way?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  



	16. Episode 16: Asuma vs. Noa: The Confron...

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 16: Asuma vs. Noa- the Confrontation in the Hot Springs  
March 9, 2000  
  
"Another Unit vacation? So soon?" Takeo asked. All of unit two was  
gathered in the captains' office to hear the announcement.  
  
Gotoh nodded. "With the re-organization of the SV2, the commissioner  
decided to try and standardize the dates for the Annual Unit Vacations to  
give each unit one three day weekend together. Even though our last one  
was was only four months ago, that was before the reorganization. They  
asked each captain to name a weekend, and that would become the fixed date  
for future unit vacations. Since Noa is still not cleared to pilot a  
labor, we're only at half-strength, and so I figured I'd sign us up for our  
vacation now."  
  
"So where are we going this time?" Asuma asked.  
  
"An onsen- the same one as last time." He paused. "But the vacation  
doesn't start until tomorrow, people, and we've got things to do right now.  
Dismissed."  
  
Noa sought out Asuma as they left the office. Their little dip in the  
Tokyo Bay helped to break through the tension that had built up, though  
perhaps in the back of both their minds were the events of that night at  
the fireworks show. Still, they'd gone back to their tradition of finding  
a private place every night, and acting as the couple they were.  
  
Asuma hadn't been quite as comfortable as Noa, however. He'd had a  
rather... unusual... experience before falling into the bay, and during it  
he'd learned a few things about himself. Some of those things he wanted to  
talk to Noa about, but whenever they were alone on those nights he couldn't  
bring it up. It just wasn't the right mood, or there wasn't enough time,  
or he just didn't know HOW to bring it up.  
  
At any rate, he wasn't going to let this inability keep him from enjoying  
himself.  
  
"You doing anything at the moment?" Noa asked him.  
  
Asuma shrugged. "Just got the usual duty shift busy work. Why?" Their  
nightly meeting wasn't scheduled until several hours later.  
  
"Shige's going to be teaching me a bit on how to maintain Alphonse, like I  
asked him to a while back. I was wondering if you might want to join me."  
  
That was another thing that had happened that same day. He and Noa had  
gotten into a fight, of sorts, because he hadn't told her he was jealous of  
Alphonse. Noa knew this, and ever since finding out she'd done everything  
she could to reassure him she liked him more. However, she was ALSO trying  
to get him more involved in her interest in the labor, and this definitely  
appeared to be one of those times.  
  
'Oh, well... might as well go make sure she doesn't aggravate those  
injuries of hers... she really should be taking it easy, still. But I  
guess that it's okay... I've been able to spend a lot of time with her  
because of them.'  
  
"Sure, why not?" he said. "Just let me make sure that I'm not really  
needed for whatever useless assignment they're giving us today."  
  
"Thanks. I'll see you there." She turned to go.  
  
Asuma stopped her just before she left. "Say, Noa..."  
  
"Yeah, Asuma?" she said, turning back around.  
  
"I was thinking about asking you tonight, but now's just as good a time as  
any. There's an afternoon matinee concert by Kana on the eleventh which I  
think we could get to rather easily from the onsen. I was wondering if you  
might want to go to it."  
  
There were a variety of reasons he was asking this. Kana's style of  
singing wasn't his type of music (or Noa's, for all he knew), but she WAS  
sort of a friend to the both of them. Kana had been part of Unit 2 for a  
little more than a week, studying how to pilot an Ingram as part of a  
promotional stunt she was doing, and during the period she'd gotten to know  
the both of them pretty well. Especially Noa, who had been put in charge  
of teaching the young idol singer the basics of Labor usage.  
  
In fact, Noa had been the object of some affection by the singer- a very  
unnerving thing for her. However, Kana gave up on Noa after seeing how she  
and Asuma felt for each other. In fact, looking back on it, both of them  
considered her the first person to point out how deep their relationship  
was building to, claiming she couldn't compete with the depth of feelings  
Asuma had for Noa.  
  
Since then, Kana had made certain they stayed in contact. It wasn't easy-  
the demands on the life of the two police officers was bad enough, but when  
you added in the schedule that an idol singer was expected to maintain it  
should have been impossible. However, Kana was determined. At one point,  
Asuma noted to himself that the singer had the same characteristic  
stubborness with this that Noa sometimes showed when she got mad during  
labor combat.  
  
The contact WAS limited- they almost never saw each other- but Kana  
frequently called to chat with Noa on the phone, and she wrote to her  
friends at the SV2 all of the time. In one of those letters, she'd  
informed them that she was going to put their names on her guest list at  
every concert she performed in case they ever wanted to attend one. This  
would be their first chance to take her up on that offer.  
  
It was also the first time since the dip in Tokyo Bay that they were going  
out. Something Noa was a little concerned about, considering how things  
had gone at the fair.  
  
"I... sure! I'd love to!" she said.  
  
Asuma nodded. "Good. We'll hammer out the details tonight, at meeting  
spot three. Now, don't keep Shige waiting. I'll join you in a minute."   
With that, he ran off in the direction of the main office.  
  
Meeting spot three was one of their prearranged private locations. It was  
also, since it was outside on the fishing pier (the same one which they  
fell off of a week beforehand), one of the few where they could be seen in  
the open. Noa feared this meant that he was withdrawing from her, still- a  
great disappointment to her, as she had hoped his invitation to the concert  
was a sign that he'd finally gotten over whatever it was that scared him  
off at the fair. However, there wasn't much she could do about it.  
  
Shinohara, glancing behind him, noticed that Noa still hadn't moved. "Hey,  
are you going to your lessons or not?"  
  
"Huh?!" Noa said, startled out of her little reverie. "Ack! I'm gonna be  
late!"  
  
*****  
  
March 10, 2000  
  
Noa stretched out slowly, stepping out of Asuma's car. They'd driven up to  
the onsen seperately from the rest of the unit, though the sight of the  
chartered bus showed that they'd arrived after everyone else. Asuma had  
been a little concerned at how not going with the rest of the group would  
look, but rationalized that there wasn't any other way to get to the  
concert without bringing along his car and so it was worth the risk- they'd  
done similar things before without having gotten into trouble for it, after  
all.  
  
The concert wasn't until the next day, so they still had that night to  
relax, soak in the hot springs, maybe get drunk, and just have fun with the  
group in general. In the meantime, though, she wanted to work out those  
kinks in her back she'd gotten from the drive.  
  
Asuma looked on in concern. "Are you sure you're fully recovered from your  
surgery? I've seen you trying to stretch out your back more these past few  
days than I ever have in the past...."  
  
Noa nodded. "I think so. I have been feeling a bit more stiff lately,  
though- possibly because of the surgery, but even if it is I don't think  
it's anything to worry about. I think it's probably more due to all the  
bed rest I had to take during that month recovering. Don't worry- I'll be  
all right. Besides, a soak in these hot springs will probably take care of  
it, no problem."  
  
Asuma wanted to say more, but he never had the chance.  
  
Natsume Kawai ran out of the onsen's lobby, waving. "Hi, you two!" she  
chirped. "We've all been waiting! Come on! Let's not waste what time  
we've got here! Hurry up, hurry up!  
  
With that, the hyperactive girl grabbed hold of both of their hands and  
dragged them to where the rest of the second unit was waiting. Shinohara  
sighed as he was being pulled- there was something he wanted to talk to Noa  
about, but it didn't look like he'd be able to tell her then.  
  
*****  
  
Noa sighed as she relaxed into the hot spring. The spots on her back where  
she'd had to have stitches were a lot stiffer than she'd let on to Asuma,  
but this soak felt like just what she needed to complete her recovery.  
  
Takeo smirked at her as she entered the tub. "So, Noa... how's life been  
for you? Haven't had much of a chance to speak woman-to-woman with you in  
a while."  
  
Noa raised an eyebrow. She wanted to relax, not to talk, but it would be  
impolite to just ignore her. "Well, I was in the hospital for a month  
until about a week ago, so what do you think? My back's been killing me  
off and on these last couple of days... this trip to these hot springs are  
just what I needed."  
  
"Yes, you've been in a hospital for a month, but you've certainly had  
plenty of company. Asuma stayed with you that whole time, I believe...  
when I was shot, I wasn't visited nearly as much by anybody."  
  
Noa hesitated. She wasn't sure if she liked how this was going- of all the  
others in the SV2, Takeo (and Ohta as well, though he usually confronted  
Shinohara instead) was the one who most hinted that she knew what was going  
on between her and Asuma. That comment was another example of such.  
  
Still, it wasn't really possible to deny that Asuma had been there the  
entire month- after all, he'd as much as admitted it when he took her back  
to visit everyone on Valentine's Day. "Yeah, I did have company... I  
wouldn't necessarily call it pleasant company, though. I swear he spent  
most of his time there just trying to figure out a way to annoy me." That  
was sort of true- though partly because Noa, in a fit of absolute boredom,  
had challenged him to come up with the best way to bug her once she got up  
on her feet. He never came up with a good one, though- at least, not one  
that he'd told her about.  
  
Takeo smiled nostalgically. "I wish someone had bugged me during my time  
in the hospital. Especially if that someone was a cute guy like Asuma."  
  
Noa sank deeper into the water, glancing around shyly as she wished that  
Natsume would get finish getting ready and join them in the spring in the  
hopes that Kumagami would end this line of questioning. "Takeo!"  
  
Takeo giggled quietly. "Sorry- I know that you like to think you're just  
friends. I happen to know that what you say isn't true, just from how you  
two act when you're together, but cling to your delusions while you can.   
Still, it doesn't hurt your friendship that he's cute, does it?"  
  
"Um... no, it doesn't hurt," Noa admitted, blushing brightly. She paused,  
and thought frantically for a moment. After a few seconds of pondering,  
she came to a decision. "Takeo... um, we aren't claiming that we're just  
friends any more. At least, not to each other..."  
  
Takeo stiffened, trying to keep from exploding into even greater laughter.   
"Oh?"  
  
"Please don't tell anyone!" Noa begged, misinterpreting her expression.   
"We don't want it to get too widely know... we don't want to be seperated  
by some sort of internal affairs investigation and-"  
  
"My lips are sealed," Kumagami said. "But it IS pretty obvious what's  
going on between you two."  
  
"Maybe," Noa agreed hesitantly. "But it isn't obvious enough that anyone  
can prove anything, yet, and we're trying to keep it that way." Smiling at  
Takeo, she said, "It would be nice to have a confidant about all of this,  
though."  
  
Takeo nodded. "I'd be glad to be one," she said. "Now, tell me... how far  
have you gone with him?"  
  
"Um...." Noa blushed even deeper than she had been before. "Well... just  
a little kissing. He's kinda distanced himself a bit since that trip to  
his fathers."  
  
"Oh? What happened?"  
  
Noa sighed. "I wish I knew. I mean, things were going perfectly... we'd  
had a fight in the morning, but we resolved that and decided to go on a  
date around town to make up for it. We went to a carnival, and stayed most  
of the day... there was a fireworks show, and I glanced up at him, and...  
and suddenly, his face filled with fear and he cancelled the rest of our  
plans, insisting that we had to hurry back."  
  
Takeo looked amused. "Hmm... and, just out of curiousity, what do you  
think he saw when he was looking at you?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Might it be possible that he saw some emotion in your face that scared  
him?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know... maybe like love?"  
  
Noa's eyes widened. "He warned me earlier that he was pushing himself...  
maybe he was afraid I was moving too quickly."  
  
"Maybe. Or maybe he's afraid of commitment. Lots of men disappear just  
when you might be willing to spend the rest of your life with them,"  
Kumagami said wistfully.  
  
"Asuma won't run from me," Noa said with determination. "He won't do that.  
He was just scared we were moving too fast, that's all."  
  
Takeo sighed. "Ah... I envy the naivete of the young."  
  
Noa tried to comment on that, but the door finally opened to present  
Natsume Kawai.   
  
"Hi, you two! What are we all talking about?" the new arrival asked,  
quickly making her way into the pool.  
  
Noa coughed. "Um... nothing important."  
  
Takeo laughed, amused at Noa's antics. "No, it's just something every girl  
in Noa's situation goes through now and again."  
  
"Did I miss something?" Natsume asked, blinking.  
  
*****  
  
On the men's side of the onsen, the conversation was a lot less personal.   
In fact, there was a lot less conversation. Asuma, who before realizing he  
and Noa were a couple would have been plotting ways to sneak a peek of the  
girls (not that he didn't want to sneak a peek at Noa, but he also wasn't  
willing to risk getting in trouble with her at the time), was sitting alone  
in a corner of the hot spring, brooding. Joudo Ishikawa was just relaxing  
in the water, nearly sleeping. Gotoh had snuck out to call Shinobu.   
Hiromi, perhaps, was the only one who MIGHT have wanted to talk, but there  
was no-one around to talk to.  
  
Asuma continued to plan what he was going to do at the concert while he  
brooded. There were things he needed to talk to Noa about, and he wasn't  
sure how he was going to do it. He hoped the concert would provide the  
right element to explain things to her, but he wasn't sure it would.  
  
Hiromi was a little unnerved by the silence. Usually, even though he  
didn't make much noise himself, whenever the unit went to a hot spring or a  
public bath, there was lots of noise. Shinshi and Ohta would be fighting  
with each other while Asuma would be conspiring to peek on the girls, or  
there would be a terrorist who they needed to investigate, or the bath  
would be died the color of blood by a 'leaky' paint cartridge. It was  
never that quiet.  
  
Besides, Asuma looked a little upset. As he'd once done for Noa, Hiromi  
decided to see if he could talk his partner through his problems.  
  
Wading over to Shinohara's corner of the spring, he asked, "Asuma, can I  
talk to you for a minute?"  
  
Asuma looked up, a bit startled. Hiromi, wanting to talk? "Um, sure...  
what about?"  
  
"You looked kind of down. Noa hasn't exactly been herself the past week or  
so, either. Did something happen between the two of you?"  
  
Asuma sighed. "Well... yeah, maybe. I did something stupid, but we're  
working it out. No big deal."  
  
Hiromi nodded. "Okay. But I think I should tell you I know what's going  
on. Don't mistreat Noa, and I won't have any complaints with you. If she  
doesn't mistreat you, I won't complain to her, either. But I'll have my  
eyes opened. And right now, it seems to me you're at fault for whatever it  
is upsetting her."  
  
Asuma blinked, staring across the hot spring to make certain that Joudo was  
still asleep.. "You... know?"  
  
Hiromi nodded. "It would take a blind man to miss it. Besides, you might  
not think of it very often, but I'm with you two more of the time than  
anyone else. You tend to let what little guard you have down when I'm  
around."  
  
Asuma bit his lip. "Um... you know that if our superiors find out about  
Noa and me, we'll get in a lot of trouble..."  
  
Hiromi nodded. "As long as they can't prove anything, though, you're safe.  
Don't be afraid to show her how you feel, just as long as you keep the  
public displays of affection to a minimum."  
  
"Um... right. That's partly why-" Asuma stopped when Joudo issued a loud  
yawn, indicating he was waking up. "Um, let's talk later."  
  
Hiromi nodded, heading back to his side of the pool. "Just treat her  
right, Asuma. She loves you, after all," he whispered.  
  
Asuma stiffened- that thought still frightened him, but there was little he  
could do about it. When he finally settled down, however, he went back to  
planning the concert. Everything had to go just perfect...  
  
*****  
  
March 11, 2000  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
The door opened. "Five minutes, Miss Matsumoto. Oh, yeah, and two  
non-regulars from your guest list are in the audience."  
  
Kana, applying the finishing touches to her makeup, looked over at the  
messanger. "Oh? Who?"  
  
"A Mr. Asuma Shinohara and Ms. Noa Izumi."  
  
"Noa!?" Kana repeated brightly. "Make certain to invite them backstage  
after the performance, will you?"  
  
The messanger nodded. "Sure thing... who are they, by the way?"  
  
"They're the people who taught me how to pilot a labor. You remember, that  
Patlabor unit..."  
  
"Oh, right. I'll make certain they get your invitation. Oh, yeah, don't  
forget- five minutes."  
  
*****  
  
The concert was nearing its conclusion. It had been quite enjoyable for  
Noa and Asuma- even though they didn't particularly care for the music, the  
energy of the people in the audience was contagious.  
  
The infectious crowd was not the only thing, though, that was making Noa  
happy. At one point during the performance, Kana had started singing a  
love song, and during that song Asuma had reached over and squeezed her  
hand. For some reason, that one little action seemed to dissipate all the  
tension that she'd felt building since that fireworks show. For her, this  
little excursion was a victory, of sorts. The only problem she was having,  
in fact, was that her back was still a little stiff. Maybe a nice massage  
would help....  
  
"Say, Asuma," Noa said, trying to get heard over the cheers. "Would you  
like to get out of here a little early and avoid the traffic?"  
  
Asuma wasn't paying attention to her. Instead, something else caught his  
eye. "Noa... is it just me, or are those two security people heading  
towards us?"  
  
Noa barely made out what he was saying over the roar of the crowd. Peering  
over at what he was looking at, she cried. "Yeah! What do you think they  
want?"  
  
"I dunno, but let's go talk to them. If there aren't any problems, we'll  
go after that."  
  
Noa just nodded instead of trying to say anything. Leaving their seats,  
they worked their way to the advancing security people.  
  
"Excuse me sir, ma'am. Are you Mr. Asuma Shinohara and Ms. Noa Izumi?" the  
first guard asked.  
  
Noa and Asuma looked at each other in surprise. "Yes, that's who we are,"  
Shinohara replied.  
  
"You've been invited backstage by Miss Kana. Do you wish to come with us?"  
  
Asuma looked relieved now that he knew they weren't being called into duty,  
but Noa looked a little reluctant. Kana was a friend, but she got a bit...  
annoying... in person. "Um... I'm not sure..." she tried to say.  
  
Unfortunately, she didn't say it loud enough for anyone to here her. "I  
don't see why not," Asuma said, who didn't have any real bad memories of  
Kana besides her brief flirtation with Izumi... which was something he  
thought was more fun teasing Noa with than getting jealous about. "Sure."  
  
Noa sighed at hearing that. Oh, well- now she'd have to deal with the  
brat. At least the rest of the day had gone good up to that point... then  
again, the last time she'd had an exceptionally good day it was spoiled by  
Asuma's sudden hesitation regarding their relationship. Hopefully, that  
wouldn't happen again.  
  
The two bulky security men escorted Noa and Asuma through the throngs as  
they made their way backstage. Just as Kana finished the concert, they  
arrived.  
  
She passed them on her way back. "Hi, guys!" she said exhuberantly (if  
breathlessly- she'd just finished a concert, after all). "I'll be back in  
a minute- just let me get changed." With a wave, she ducked out.  
  
"Asuma," Noa said as Kana disappeared. "Why'd you agree to this? You know  
how annoying she is...."  
  
Asuma smirked. "Yeah... say, does this mean I win the bet I made in the  
hospital?"  
  
Noa's eyes widened as she recalled the bet SHE with him- to annoy her in a  
way which was both intentional and non-offensive. He'd taken the bet  
almost too quick....  
  
"Hey... did you PLAN all of this?"  
  
"Not until I heard the offer to come backstage, but it works, doesn't it?"  
  
"I'm not sure if it counts," Noa said. "After all, if you didn't plan it,  
how can it be intentional?"  
  
"I don't-"  
  
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kana said, walking up to them. "It's so nice  
to see you both again!" With that, she through her arms around Noa to give  
her a hug she couldn't escape from.  
  
Asuma ALMOST started feeling jealous until Kana released that hug and  
glomped him instead. "Eep!" he cried as the breath was forced from his  
lungs.  
  
Finished with her greeting, Kana let go and turned. "Follow me- I know  
just the place where we can sit and talk."  
  
*****  
  
Kana, Noa, and Asuma all sat around a small table, each with drinks in  
their hands. Noa and Asuma each had a coffee (Asuma wanted a beer, but  
there weren't any alchoholic beverages available in the backstage vending  
machines), while Kana sipped a hot cocoa.  
  
"Noa," Kana said plaintively. "Remember the time I was doing target  
practice in your labor? That was so much fun... you're both still in the  
SV2, right?"  
  
"Um... yeah," Noa replied, sighing. Yep, really annoying. Just like she'd  
feared.  
  
"I wish I had a labor to pilot... then again, if I got a labor like yours,  
I'd be a target for people like that guy who kidnapped you, wouldn't I?"   
Kana sighed. "I'm glad he did, though- he kept me from embarrassing myself  
too much with you."  
  
"Huh?" That statement threw Noa for a loop.  
  
"When I saw how much Asuma cared, I just knew I couldn't stand in the way  
of your love for each other." She paused for a moment. "You two DO still  
love each other, right?"  
  
"Um..." Noa and Asuma both hesitated. It was one thing to KNOW you were in  
love with someone. It was a totally different thing to admit it when  
blatently confronted about it by someone else when you hadn't even told the  
other person yet.  
  
Kana nodded and sighed. "Yeah, guess you are. Anyway, if I can't get a  
labor like yours, maybe there's another type I could get which would be fun  
to pilot around from time to time...."  
  
*****  
  
Several hours later, Noa and Asuma were on the road back to the onsen. For  
the first time in a while, the silence was more or less comfortable...  
well, at least it was for Noa. For Asuma, it wasn't really all that  
comfortable, as he was trying to decide if he should really say what he'd  
been planning to say... and exactly how he should say it.  
  
Finally coming to a decision, he cleared his throat.  
  
"Noa," he said.  
  
"Yes?" Noa replied, relaxed, not hearing the slight tremor of concern in  
his voice.  
  
"I just wanted to say... about what Kana asked us earlier tonight."  
  
"Yes?" Now, she knew that he was trying to say something important.  
  
"Noa, I just wanted you to know... um, she's right. I do... l-love you.   
Deeply. Very deeply. I'm sorry about that fireworks show, I just wasn't  
ready to hear it then. Now, though.... I just thought you should know.   
Now that I've realized it myself."  
  
Noa was stunned. She didn't know what to say- she'd been worried he'd been  
distancing himself the whole week, but apparently, he was just working  
himself up to saying this. The only thing that was clear, though, was a  
thought that kept echoing itself through her head. 'He said it! He SAID  
it! I can't believe he said it!'  
  
Asuma started getting more and more nervous as Noa didn't respond. Not  
able to stand it any more, he said, "Noa?"  
  
"Asuma... I love you too!" Noa cried, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
"Ack, Noa! Leggo, I gotta drive!" Asuma shouted, startled. Noa let go,  
smiling widely. "I just wanted to say it, okay? It doesn't change  
anything, though. We still have to hide it and all-"  
  
"It doesn't matter," she interrupted. "Let's not worry about that right  
now. I just want to be able to sit back and enjoy it for now."  
  
"Okay, Noa," Asuma agreed. "And... thank you."  
  
"Huh? For what?"  
  
"For not trying to run away. Thank you..."  
  
Noa didn't understand that at all... then again, it didn't matter. He  
loved her. That was all that was important.  
-------------------------  
End Notes: As a curiousity, some of the events referenced about the  
hospital stay may be covered in an OAV I'm planning (I did mention that I'm  
planning a few Patlabor: Personal Files OAVs for those episodes which don't  
fit in the regular series, right? Usually, these will cover events before  
the series starts or overlay events that happen in other episodes... though  
occasionally, there'll be OAVs which are made OAVs because otherwise they'd  
contain spoilers for future episodes...). I have yet to decide if I WANT  
to write the OAVs, however, so we'll see if I do them... at any rate,  
that's the current plan. Initially, I started coming up with the OAV  
series idea as a way to offer openings for guest authors who might want to  
write in the series, but so far there ARE no guest authors... *sigh* If  
anyone wants to BE a guest author and write either an OAV or an episode  
(there's still one opening available for the first season, but that'll  
disappear in a few episodes), please let me know.  
  
Next Episode: Chief Sakaki retires... but can the mechanics squad really  
survive without him?  
  
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Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee   
anime fanfics available at   
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	17. Episode 17: A Most Unusual Retirement

Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 17: A Most Unusual Retirement  
March 17, 2000  
  
"Hurry, Asuma!" Noa cried. "I want to get back to Alphonse as quickly as  
possible!"  
  
There was a reason Noa was so anxious to return to the side of her labor-  
for the first time in a long time, she was medically cleared to pilot it  
again. With that in mind, Asuma had been speeding (or nearly speeding) the  
entire journey from the hospital.  
  
Noa had been afraid she wasn't going to pass those tests six days  
beforehand. Her back was killing her then, and she was dreading the  
possibility that she'd reinjured it. What was even worse was the fear that  
her relationship with Asuma was falling apart, as he'd been distancing  
himself from her for about a week beforehand.  
  
Oddly, Noa's back quit being so stiff shortly after Asuma told her he loved  
her those six days ago. Well, part of that might have been that she'd  
invited him to give her a massage when they got back to the onsen- his  
hands fumbled frequently as he tried to release the tension with his  
fingers, and the encounter didn't go any further than the gentle massage  
she'd asked for, but Noa had definitely thought about LETTING him go  
further, if he'd wanted to.  
  
The massage really did little to relieve the stiffness, though- it was  
mostly gone when they'd gotten there, and Asuma was so nervous about it  
that he was more likely to have ADDED to any pains than taken away from  
them. Still, it had quickly disappeared after his confession.  
  
Asuma finally moved into the parking lot, and Noa nearly leapt out of the  
car while it was still running. Quickly double-checking to make certain  
that the doors were locked, he followed her path into the SV2 hanger as  
soon as he could.  
  
By the time he caught up with her, she was already suited up and heading  
right for Alphonse's cockpit. She stopped long enough to smile at him and  
say a few words.  
  
"Shige's going to watch the shakedown run," she explained. "He's going to  
be taking the command position to put Alphonse through a few tests."  
  
Asuma nodded. During Noa's incapacitation, the mechanics had taken the  
opportunity to make a number of modifications to her labor- modifications  
which would push its mechanics nearly up to the performance level of the  
Peacemakers- which hopefully would keep it from becoming technologically  
obsolete for another year or so. At any rate, the modifications were so  
great that a serious shakedown run had to be made before it would be safe  
to use Alphonse on calls. Since Asuma wasn't aware of exactly what tests  
were required, he knew someone else would have command for a little while.  
  
"I'll be watching with him. Have fun," he said.  
  
Noa nodded, resuming her dash for Alphonse with an expression of pure glee  
on her face. He followed, smiling slightly. He wasn't sure he was  
completely over his jealousy of the labor, despite their little talk, but  
he couldn't help but like it when she was THAT happy.  
  
Still grinning, he made his way over to where Shige was adjusting the radio  
headset. "Need any help?" Asuma asked.  
  
"Nah," Shige replied. "This shakedown run shouldn't be too difficult."  
  
"You'll let Noa have some fun with him, right?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Asuma watched as Shige put Noa through the drills. It appeared quite  
similar to the standard shakedown run that any labor in Shinohara Heavy  
Industries was put through, and Alphonse was passing with flying colors.  
  
Sakaki approached the pair watching the tests about half-way through, a  
barely restrained emotion that niether of them could identify on his face.   
"Shige," he said softly. "Hand the command over to Asuma and let him  
finish the tests. I need to speak with you for a moment."  
  
Shige blinked, surprised by Sakaki's odd tone of voice. "I, uh... okay.   
Noa, Asuma's going to take over for a bit- Chief needs to talk to me."   
With that, he ripped off the headset and handed it to Asuma. Turning  
briskly, he followed Sakaki towards his office.  
  
Asuma replaced the radio on his head, adjusted the microphone, and said,  
"Noa, can you read me?"  
  
Noa's voice cheerily answered him, "Loud and clear, Asuma! What's going  
on?"  
  
"Dunno. Sakaki was acting strangely," he said, thinking. "Hmm... seems to  
me Alphonse tests just fine when it comes to strength and manueverability,  
right?"  
  
"Check," Noa agreed. "He's tuned up well and good. Sakaki does a good job  
with him."  
  
"How 'bout checking some of his sensors for a while, instead? Ya know...  
maybe, say, try focusing in on a certain conversation to see if the audio  
recording devices are able to pick up everything they're supposed to?"  
  
Noa didn't respond for a second. "Asuma... are you asking me to do what I  
think you're asking me to do?"  
  
"Depends, what do you think I'm asking you to do?" he replied, smirking.  
  
The sigh could be heard even through the headphones. "You know, one of  
these stunts you keep getting us into is going to get us thrown out of the  
SV2, someday. When we get kicked out, I'm going to get awfully mad at  
you." There was a pause. "Testing auditory detection system. Relaying  
results to you..."  
  
The sound of Sakaki's somewhat distorted gravelly voice kicked in. "...ber  
that as chief mechanic, your job won't just be assigning people to the  
right job and keeping track of how progress is, but also maintaining  
discipline among the unit. If you recall..." A spurt of interference  
garbled his next few words.  
  
"Hmm... there's some distortion and interference. Check the callibration  
for the reciever," Asuma ordered.  
  
"Acknowledged," Noa replied, somewhat relieved. It didn't sound like they  
were eavesdropping on anything important, and her conscience was greatly  
relieved.  
  
The sound cleared up just as Shige started talking. "Chief, this is all  
stuff you've said a million times before. What's the point of all this?"  
he said.  
  
Sakaki paused. "Shige... I got a memo, today, letting me know that, since  
I passed fifty-five years of age earlier this month, I'm going to have to  
retire on the 31st. You are about to become 'Chief' Shige."  
  
The silence that followed was palpable. "Noa," Asuma said softly. "I  
think that's enough testing for today."  
  
*****  
  
March 31, 2000  
  
For a party, it was remarkably somber. The catered food was of the best  
quality and variety, the live band was playing cheery toons, and everyone  
attending knew everybody else. The reason for the party, however, was  
enough to sadden most of those attendees.  
  
A few people had made an attempt to have fun. Natsume had cornered both  
Joudo and Shige for dances, Gotoh had attempted the same with Shinobu (to  
be shot down, as usual), Koichi Miyagi was telling- and laughing at- a  
number of bad jokes, and a number of those who were not part of the SV2-  
largely relatives and senior officers- were either dancing or chatting  
about nothing in particular.  
  
Asuma, somewhat half-heartedly, had asked Noa to dance. Noa, however,  
wasn't in the mood to dance, either. Almost no-one, in fact, felt up to  
much celebrating.  
  
It was the last day of Mechanics Section Chief Sakaki's career, and the  
demoralizing effect of his retirement was palpable. No-one, it seemed,  
wanted the old man to go.  
  
Shige had been in almost constant conference with Sakaki since finding out  
about his impending departure. The dance with Natsume, in fact, was his  
first waking moment out of earshot of the retiring chief. Thankfully, he  
was finally excused from having to hear the same lecture for the umpteenth  
time, and so he was one of the few in a good mood. It was still tempered,  
however, by the knowledge he'd never be able to go to the Chief for a piece  
of advice if things got out of his control. Vaguely, he recalled the  
infamous Seven Days that he had been partially responsible for sending the  
SV2 Mechanics into near civil war, and hoped he was up to the task of  
command.  
  
Sakaki, himself, had a grim expression on his face. Gotoh, in concern,  
approached him cautiously. "What do you think of all this?" the captain  
asked the soon-to-be-civilian.  
  
"No-one's enjoying themselves," Sakaki answered simply.  
  
"They don't want you to leave."  
  
"I don't want to leave, either. But I'd like to enjoy myself at my own  
retirement party."  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "They're trying, they just can't do it." He paused. "I  
have a proposal for you, if you don't want to give this up, entirely."  
  
"Oh?" Sakaki asked, his voice quirking in curiousity.  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if your services are needed from time to time in  
the future. Shige's never been in sole command of anything for any length  
of time, and if things spin out of control I'd like to be able to call you  
to help clean up the mess."  
  
"Not a good idea," Sakaki noted. "Shige would quickly get too dependant on  
me."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Just one time, perhaps?"  
  
"Well... perhaps once. We'll see."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Good. Say, have you seen the incident reports we've  
recently been getting?"  
  
Sakaki frowned. "Yes," he admitted hesitantly.  
  
"Good. I suspect there'll be something left on your property after your  
retirement that'll allow you to keep from getting too rusty in the  
mechanics field. I trust you'll keep in practice well enough to keep a  
number of labors in tip-top shape while you're retired."  
  
For a moment, Sakaki wasn't sure he understood. Then, however, he got it.   
"Of course, Captain. I think I know what you mean perfectly." He smirked.  
"I don't suppose I'll be allowed to read those incident reports any more,  
will I?"  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Not unless some of them accidentally show up at your house,  
every week."  
  
"Well, if any show up around my place, I'd know what to do with them."  
  
Gotoh smiled. "Good. Now, why don't we see if we can't get this party of  
yours going, eh?"  
  
*****  
  
April 12, 2000  
  
Shige rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. It had been a tiring month- first,  
all of the last minute instruction from Sakaki before his retirement had  
taken up his every waking moment. The day that he was finally gone, he had  
begun to realize just WHY so much last minute instruction was needed.  
  
When he became the chief of the mechanics squad himself, he was overwhelmed  
by the sheer amount of paperwork he had to go through. True, he had some  
paperwork before his promotion to Chief, but nothing like the workload he  
was getting after Sakaki left- especially since, until they found a  
replacement, he was now doing BOTH their jobs. And there was a LOT more to  
the added responsibilities than the paperwork- he had to supervise a number  
of jobs, and found frequently that he wasn't able to give nearly the  
attention to detail that he had before.  
  
What was even worse was that no-one acted like he was really in charge.   
Oh, sure, they did what he assigned them to do, but he wasn't able to  
instill any form of discipline in them at all. At times, he used to think  
that the crew could be as undisciplined as they wanted and it wouldn't  
effect their work, but now he was almost ready to bring back the code of  
rules which had initiated the seven days of infamy, as they were now doing  
things like using spare parts for the command cars to build freeze-drying  
equipment for their fishing industry.  
  
It didn't help that they were having one of their busiest periods in  
months. The criminal element was acting up somewhat more than it usually  
did, but even worse were the heavy rains which caused significant strains  
not just on the labors, but on the command cars and transports as well. In  
fact, there had been a number of minor accidents involving wet roads and  
high speed driving.  
  
Shige wasn't sure he could take much more of it. Resolved, he started to  
Section Chief Fukushima's office- because, for once, the highest ranking  
officer in Special Vehicles Second Section was where he was supposed to be.  
Maybe there was a chance he could request a replacement, and no longer  
have to worry about all of the duties of leadership.  
  
Just as he was about to knock on the door, it opened in front of him and  
Gotoh stepped out, carrying a file. "Ah, Shige!" he said.  
  
"Captain Gotoh, sir!" Shige said, snapping to attention.  
  
Gotoh smirked. "I'm not 'sir' any more, remember? Technically, you're MY  
superior, now."  
  
"Oh, right...."  
  
"Can you come with me for a minute? There's something I wanted to talk to  
you about."  
  
Shige paused, looking past him to see Fukushima sitting in his office.   
"Well, I was hoping to talk to the Section Chief."  
  
"He's promised he'll be here for another week, at least. This is something  
I really want to get done today."  
  
"Well, I'm VERY busy, and-"  
  
"All I want you to do is run a minor errand for me, off base. It's  
something I think you would enjoy doing, anyway...."  
  
*****  
  
Shige knocked on the door, holding the package he had been asked to deliver  
under his arm. He was a little surprised- he knew that, among a few  
letters, there were a few (probably stolen) obsolete labor parts, a copy of  
the week's incident reports, and a classified file that Gotoh had just  
recieved from Fukushima. If the delivery had been to any other person, he  
would have refused and reported it immediately, but in this case... well,  
he was just hoping he wasn't caught by anyone.  
  
A young woman opened the door. She was rather plump, but was otherwise  
just an ordinary looking teenager. "Oh, hello," the girl said. "Uncle  
Sake said he was expecting you."  
  
Shige blinked. "Uncle Sake?"  
  
The girl blushed and giggled. "Sorry- that's what my brother called him  
when Uncle drunk him under the table, and it's kinda stuck. You know him  
as just 'Chief Sakaki.'"  
  
Shige still wasn't able to comprehend that one. "Uncle SAKE?!"  
  
Sakaki walked into the room, noticed both his former subordinate and his  
niece, and growled. "Get out of here, Megumi, or I'll tell him about the  
pork bun incident."  
  
Her eyes widened. "Um... no need for you to do that, Uncle... I think I  
just remembered a homework assignment I forgot to do. See you later..."   
With the utmost haste, she ran out of the room, almost damaging the door as  
she left.  
  
"Kids," Sakaki snorted. "Come on, Shige, I'll get you something to drink.   
And, retired or not, I swear that if you repeat that nickname to ANYONE,  
I'll throw you into the sea!"  
  
"Right, chief," Shige replied, looking adequately cowed.  
  
Together, they passed through a section of the immense (by Tokyo standards)  
mansion that Sakaki and his family lived in, until they reached a small  
courtyard. It was when they were in the courtyard that Shige realized what  
the labor parts in the package were for.  
  
"The Ancient Warriors," he gasped, starring at the four antiquated  
patlabors- two type 96s and two type 97s.  
  
"Yep," Sakaki said, taking the package from him before he dropped it.  
  
"Headquarters didn't try to reclaim them when you retired?"  
  
Sakaki didn't say anything for a moment, instead concentrating on finding a  
tool to help him break open the parcel's seal. "It's kind of funny,  
really," he finally spoke after opening it, taking out a lone piece out of  
the equipment and looking at it carefully, checking for any imperfections  
which would render it unusable. "But the Quartermaster Corps has a little  
known secret: Unlike the military, which keeps track of every piece of  
equipment purchased since the dawn of time, practically, if something has  
been on the general Police department's inventory books for one year past  
its expected life span, they just remove it from the record- it's easier to  
do that then process all of the 'lost\expended' equipment forms we send  
them. Like these parts here- because the labors they're designed for were  
supposed to have been replaced three years ago, they just forgot about 'em.  
They've never been used, though, and should work just fine." He paused.   
"The 96's were off their record books way back before we even retired the  
97s. Headquarters never even knew we used one to replace Ohta's labor in  
Unit 3 when it went down. Turns out the 97s went off the record book right  
after Unit 3 was formed, so as far as Quartermasters Corps is concerned,  
these labors don't exist, despite the fact they cost hundreds of millions  
when we purchased them. Don't let Ohta know that, though- if he did, then  
he'd know we actually have enough extra ammo to let him fire an extra  
hundred rounds a month."  
  
Shige blinked. "Wow... these could easily be modified for construction or  
something, and should still be worth a lot of money."  
  
Sakaki nodded. "If I was a real corrupt bastard, I might consider doing  
something like that. Instead, though, I plan on holding these babies in  
reserve."  
  
"In reserve? In reserve for what?"  
  
Sakaki pulled out the classified file that Gotoh had sent him. Tapping it  
with one finger, he said, "We aren't sure yet, but we know it's something.   
That firebombing at the docks, a few month ago- the one which totalled  
Ohta's 97 and covered up that theft of Babylon Project equipment- and the  
raid on the Quartermasters Corp back in February... we aren't sure how yet,  
but we think they, and some of the other odd labor crimes lately, are  
connected. Not that the administration will admit it, but something's  
happening out there. You'd better be keeping those labors in tip top shape  
over there, Shige, or things might be out of our hands, despite all of  
this."  
  
Shige looked down, embarrassed. "Chief, I'm not sure that I... I..."  
  
Sakaki looked him up and down. "Relax," he said. "I know it's hard at  
first. It'll seem overwhelming for a while, but you'll get used to it. I  
wouldn't have let you have the job if I didn't believe that."  
  
"But the pressure!" Shige cried desperately. "I can't even get any  
mechanical work done, I'm so flooded with paperwork, and the supervision- I  
have to correct someone at least four times each job! It just seems so  
impossible to keep up!"  
  
"You'll manage," Sakaki said. "You learn a few things which cannot be  
taught along the way to help out with the time situation- remember what I  
said about Quartermasters Corps. never checking out the 'lost\expended'  
forms we fill out? They only ever get seen if there's some kind of  
internal investigation going on, so as long as you fill out the parts  
likely to be audited okay, you can skip most of the technical stuff. They  
don't need to know who was captain of which unit at the time, and that sort  
of stuff... but be sensible about it. Don't forget to include what the  
item is which we lost, for instance. That could get you into SERIOUS  
trouble."   
  
He paused, letting that sink in. It appeared as though Shige wasn't going  
to say anything in response, either to continue the tirade against his own  
prowess as a manager or to admit that Sakaki could be right.  
  
The former chief sighed, putting a supporting hand on the younger man's  
shoulder. "That's the sort of thing only experience teaches you, and  
that's why I never said anything about it before. But you'll cope with the  
difficulties, I'm sure of it. And if you need some advice, don't hesitate  
to talk to Gotoh. I'll help out, too, if I feel like it, but he's smart.   
Smarter than I am, and one tough cookie... he'll get you out of messes  
worse than I ever had to deal with."  
  
Shige smiled half-heartedly, encouraged by the pep talk. "Thanks, Chief.   
I needed that." Desperately hoping to change the subject, he returned his  
attention to the old labors standing proudly in the yard. "So,  
headquarters just forgot about them, huh?"  
  
Sakaki sighed, taking in the sight with him. "Yeah... headquarters forgets  
about a lot of things. Ammo, labors, files... people. A lot of things."  
  
-------------------------  
Next Episode: The SV2 in Osaka needs a replacement pilot. So, who from  
our local Tokyo branch might be tapped to take the job?  
  
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	18. Episode 18: The Candidate

From: "David A. Tatum" desaix@sysnet.net  
To: "David A. Tatum" desaix@sysnet.net  
Subject: PLB18.txt  
Date: Friday, October 12, 2001 1:19 PM  
  
Patlabor: Personal Files  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 18: The Candidate  
March 26, 2000  
(Note: You may notice a little time overlap with the last chapter. This is  
intentional)  
  
Much to everyone's surprise, Chief Fukushima had actually shown up at SV2  
Headquarters in the morning. He immediately retreated into his office, and  
hadn't been seen since.  
  
Fukushima's entrance into the Captain's officer later in the day was even  
more surprising.  
  
"Sir!" Gomioka cried, jumping to his feet and saluting as the division chief  
entered the room. Shinobu also rose to attention, but didn't bother  
saluting. Gotoh was present as well, but he was off duty thanks to a shift  
change with Gomioka and so was napping in his desk chair. Shinobu woke him  
by clearing her throat, and he slowly stood as well.  
  
"At ease," Fukushima said. "I'm glad you're all here. I need to talk to  
all three of you."  
  
Gotoh yawned. "I wondered why you came in, today."  
  
Not even acknowledging Gotoh's presence, Fukushima opened the folder he was  
carrying and pulled out a piece of paper. "I've recieved a communique from  
the Special Vehicles division in Osaka. They're searching for a new labor  
pilot, and don't feel as though any of their own boys are qualified. We  
wouldn't happen to have anyone willing and able to fll the position, would  
we?"  
  
Gotoh shook his head. "I can't afford to separate Noa and Asuma, and Takeo  
doesn't want to be a pilot. Hiromi might be able to, if he can physically  
handle the labor- what type does Osaka have, nowadays?"  
  
"SR-70s," Fukushima said, shooting a look Shinobu's way.  
  
"Cockpit's too small. Hiromi needs something designed for larger men."  
  
"I don't have anyone capable of piloting a labor," Shinobu noted. "My  
veterans are physically incapable of it, and my rookies aren't skilled  
enough."  
  
Fukushima nodded. "Very well. How about you, Captain Gomioka?"  
  
He hesitated. "Give me a day to look into it. I've got a few people who  
might be capable- Yamane Seiroku was a hair's breath away from being a labor  
pilot during the tournament, and our American Exchange pilot, Kanuka Clancy,  
is more than capable... though she would only be able to act as an interim  
pilot. I may even have someone else, but I'm not sure yet...."  
  
Fukushima nodded. "Very well- I'll be working here for the next month, so  
you should be able to get me any time. But you're a bit inexperienced in  
these situations, so get the approval of either Gotoh or Nagumo before you  
send him to me."  
  
"Yes, sir." Gomioka had to concur with the inexperienced part, but if he  
had to get approval he'd seek out Shinobu's before anyone else's.  
  
Once Fukushima had departed, Gotoh turned to Gomioka, scratching the stubble  
on his chin in thought. "Kanuka won't want to go to Osaka. The whole  
reason she's here with us is because her Grandmother is nearby."  
  
Gomioka shrugged. "Won't hurt to ask- maybe she can get some extra help in  
Osaka that she can't get here. But Seiroku is the one who I think is most  
likely to want the job. He's been begging for a spot as a labor pilot since  
he got here, and he's really too good a pilot to be stuck in the command  
car."  
  
Gotoh sighed. "I'd try to hang onto him, if he's really that good.  
However, if you really want to ask him..."  
  
"I do."  
  
"I won't hesitate to second your choice of Kanuka, if she wants it, but if  
you expect either of us to approve of this Seiroku guy then I'm going to  
want to investigate him. I suspect Shinobu will, too. Would you get us  
each a copy of his personnel file, as well as all of the incident reports he  
's been involved with since he's been assigned here?"  
  
Gomioka grimmaced at the paperwork, but once more had to admit that there  
was the need for such an investigation. "I'll go copy them, and get back  
here in half an hour."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Thanks."  
  
"So, Gotoh," Shinobu said, apparently trying to make small talk, as Gomioka  
left the room. "Anything new happening in your squad?"  
  
"Well, Noa and Asuma will be out tomorrow for personal reasons- a birthday  
party, I think. And the plans for Sakaki's retirement party are  
underway..."  
  
The door closed behind him. Gomioka shook his head. "Isn't that the same  
conversation they've been having since the end of January? I seems like  
ever since THAT night they've been completely unable to relate to each  
other...."  
  
"Eh? What are you muttering about?"  
  
Gomioka blinked. "Eh? Chief Sakaki! I thought you were giving your  
last-minute lessons to Shige."  
  
Sakaki shook his head in frustration. "He fell asleep. After only  
thirty-six hours, too- the boy's got no endurance."  
  
"Uh, right."  
  
"So, what was it you were mumbling about? Gotoh and Shinobu, right?" he  
asked.  
  
Gomioka sighed. No point in denying the obvious. "Well, yeah. Ever since  
that night when... well, ever since late January, they seem to be struggling  
to make conversation whenever they can. It makes things... unpleasant... to  
sit around the office with them. Shinobu, especially- she seems uncertain  
how to respond every time Gotoh talks to her."  
  
Sakaki shrugged. "It's understandable. Gotoh helped her through a very  
difficult situation- one where she drank herself into a stupor. And she's  
likely still embarrassed with how she revealed so many personal details in  
one sitting with him. And I happen to know a bit more happened that she'd  
be uncomfortable about, too." He smirked slightly. "Gotoh's a good man for  
having restrained himself with her, that night."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Sakaki shook his head. "Never you mind- I don't want to get too into their  
private business with you. But they'll be fine, don't worry. You only have  
to put up with them for a short time."  
  
Gomioka looked at Sakaki oddly. "Why are you even telling me this much? I'  
m hardly one of your usual confidants...."  
  
"No, but I'm not going to be here much longer," Sakaki said. "I don't  
really like you, Gomioka. You treat your labors and your pilots wrong. I  
don't particularly like Ohta- he's wrecked his labor so many times I've only  
been able to go home a half dozen times in more than a year- but he's good  
at what he does. You act as though he doesn't deserve his post, sometimes."  
  
"I don't-" Seiroku protested.  
  
"However, you are a responsible man," Sakaki noted. "I need someone who can  
take care of certain things involving your fellow captains when I'm gone.  
And I think I can trust you to handle that."  
  
Gomioka hesitated. "Uh... what kinds of things?"  
  
"It's no secret that Gotoh has a crush on Shinobu," Sakaki explained.  
"However, not as many people know that Shinobu loves it when Gotoh acts on  
that crush. Are you aware of the events which sent her into command of the  
SV2? A 'promotion' that was meant more as a punishment than as a reward?"  
  
Sakaki shifted uncomfortably. "Vaguely. Something about her having an  
affair with a married man."  
  
Sakaki nodded. "Well, what you probably don't know is that it wasn't until  
'that night,' as you call it, that Shinobu realized the affair was over.  
She got drunk, and tried to seduce him. Gotoh refused her, because he didn'  
t want to take advantage of her like that."  
  
Gomioka's assessment of Gotoh's character rose a notch at that. "Wow."  
  
"Since then, I'm the only person either of them have talked to about that  
incident," Sakaki continued. "Because they both know I won't use this  
information against them. In fact, I'm the only person who knows exactly  
what each of them feels for the other, because I'm the only one who they'll  
talk to about their relationship." He paused. "I know you like Shinobu,  
Gomioka."  
  
Gomioka stumbled slightly, bewildered by Sakaki's perceptiveness. "I, uh-"  
  
"Don't worry. Neither of them know about it. But you have to remember you'  
re married, and you can't pursue a relationship with Shinobu. She's been  
hurt once by a married man, and won't let herself be hurt again."  
  
"Now, wait a minute. I never said I was going to-"  
  
"You never said you weren't, either," Sakaki replied.  
  
'Damn right," Gomioka thought. 'Perhaps her first affair failed, but... I  
can make things work between us, if she'll just look at me.'  
  
"I need you to set those feelings and desires aside," Sakaki said. "Neither  
of them will ever trouble their junior officers with such trivial matters,  
and while Shige will actually be promoted over them in the grand scheme of  
things, I don't think they'll see him as having the necessary maturity to  
handle their complaints. You, however, they will be able to talk to." He  
paused. "I don't want you dishing out bad advice just because you want  
their relationship to fail. I don't know whether you would or wouldn't, but  
you have to realize... after this creep broke up with Shinobu without  
anything more than a postcard- he didn't even phone her, or send her a  
decent letter- Gotoh became her crutch. And there's an incident in Gotoh's  
past which forged her into his crutch... they've been leaning heavily on  
each other for some time now, so heavily it's less like a crutch and more  
like a new limb. Don't mess it up."  
  
Gomioka gave Sakaki a hard stare. "I would NEVER do anything which would  
hurt Shinobu."  
  
"I know," Sakaki nodded. "But I needed to let you know a way you could have  
hurt her without intending to. And I felt you needed the warning that this  
was coming- you're going to have to prepare to be their support when I'm  
gone."  
  
Gomioka slowly bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you for your help,  
sir."  
  
Sakaki shook his head. "No, son. Thank you for helping them."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gotoh read through the files on Seiroku that Gomioka had given to him.  
Frowning, he said, "Is this it?"  
  
"I think so," Gomioka said. "Why? What more are you looking for?"  
  
Gotoh glanced up at him. "Well, anything more on what he was doing before  
coming to the SV2. So far, all I see are the incident reports from since he  
joined us. There's nothing at all about the incident with Ueki Mashimo,  
which surely would have had something written on it. Even if it's just a  
cover story, I was hoping to see that."  
  
Gomioka shook his head. "Sorry, all records before the first of this year  
are sealed up in the Academy files. Apparently, he wanted to be in labors  
from the moment he joined, because he was doubling his academy studies for  
both policework and labor operation simultaneously."  
  
Gotoh picked up the phone. "I think I'd better call Fuji and see if I can  
make an appointment to come and see those sealed records." He pulled out  
the interdepartmental phone book and started glancing through it.  
  
Gomioka looked around. "Where's Shinobu? I've got her copies with me,  
too."  
  
Gotoh started dialing. "Just leave them on her desk. She had to distribute  
some assignments to her unit. Kitchen detail, that kind of thing."  
  
Gomioka nodded. "Ah. You know, Sakaki and I just had a very interesting  
conversation."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"It was about you and Shinobu," he noted.  
  
Gotoh looked up at the other captain. "If so, I shouldn't know about it.  
Just remember to listen to him when he has something to say. He knows more  
than you and I ever will." There was a pause, before he started speaking  
into the phone, trying to arrange a meeting with the Academy officials in  
Fuji.  
  
Shinobu finally returned to the room. "Have you got the report copied,  
yet?" she asked.  
  
Gomioka nodded. "On your desk."  
  
Shinobu picked it up. "Good. I'm going to be out of the office for a  
while- I've got to take our labors out for a bit of a milkrun, Fukushima's  
orders. He cornered me and said he wants to 'test' certain things which we  
already know what the results will be. He just wants to see them for  
himself."  
  
All three captains rolled their eyes. The idiocy of the police bureaucracy  
with regards to the SV2 was well known to all of them. "Good luck," Gotoh  
mouthed to her, still with his ear to the phone.  
  
She grabbed the reports. "I'll read these while I'm out. See you."  
  
"Bye," Gomioka said while Gotoh waved.  
  
They worked on by themselves for a few more minutes, Gotoh finally making  
his appointment for much later that afternoon. He stood and yawned. "Well,  
I'm going to go catch fourty winks in my private room. Keep an eye on  
things. Oh, and be sure you let Shinobu know I want to talk to her about my  
findings at the Academy before she makes a decision."  
  
Gomioka nodded silently, busy with some paperwork. A few minutes later, the  
phone rang and he picked it up. "Gomioka here. Yes, but she's out on  
another assignment. Yes, sir- I'll assemble my team and head out there  
right away."  
  
* * * * *  
  
About an hour later, Shinobu returned from her milk run. Glancing around  
the office, she noticed neither of the other captains were present. She  
double-checked Gotoh's private room, and noticed him sprawled out on top of  
the covers. Shaking her head in amused disgust, she fixed the covers before  
returning to the office and investigating Gomioka's absense.  
  
"Hmm... his keys and vest are missing... he must have gone out on a call,"  
she noted.  
  
She sat down, and opened the files on Yamane Seiroku that she'd been  
carrying with her since that morning, and started reading. His background  
was a little sparse, but she wasn't really interested in that. Instead, she  
was much more concerned with how effective he had been as a labor officer.  
She noticed the side note in the folder about one of his opponent's labors  
being defective in the placement tournament. She went back to the video  
archives and pulled out the tapes relating to that tournament and started  
watching them.  
  
"He's pretty good," Shinobu appraised. "He probably had prior experience as  
a pilot."  
  
The phone rang, and she quickly snatched it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Shinobu, thank god!" a frenzied Gomioka replied over the phone. "We're  
pinned down in a firefight, and- OHTA! GET BACK HERE! Shit! Look, I gotta  
go- contact headquarters, they can tell you how to get to us. Send backup-  
hurry!"  
  
There was a click, and Shinobu stared at the phone in shock. A firefight?  
With labors? That could wreck several city blocks if the fighting was  
severe enough.  
  
She had to get down there fast- the gods only knew what was going on.  
  
* * * * *  
  
An explosion shook the building Gomioka was leaning against, and he barely  
was able to dodge several large concrete chunks of debris that nearly landed  
on his head. "Hell! Can anyone see what's going on?" he cried. He'd long  
since been unable to follow the action in the rising dust clouds.  
  
"We were able to destroy the entrance. The other smuggled labors are now  
sealed up inside of the warehouse," Kanuka reported. "Officer Seiroku did  
it by stealing one of the Brochen's and using its weapons to collapse the  
entrance- it would take several hours to dig out the labors. However, the  
four Doshka's and two Brochen's which had escaped earlier are still on the  
rampage. Seiroku is moving to join our two Ingrams and face them, but we're  
severely outmatched."  
  
"Shinobu, where are you," Gomioka muttered. He hadn't known when he'd taken  
the call that the smuggling operation he'd been sent to bust was smuggling  
military labors. Why would anyone NEED a military labor, anyway? Unless  
they were trying to fight a war, that is... and it wasn't like there were  
very many wars going on in his region of the world at the moment.  
  
Another labor stepped by and covered him with an arm as another load of  
debris was about to fall on him. It wasn't one of Shinobu's labors, but it  
was still some help- from the second call he'd made on that assignment.  
  
"Team Raven here," the female labor pilot noted. "We got your call. What's  
the situation?"  
  
Taking a moment to collect himself, Gotoh figured out the most succinct way  
of explaining things. "We arrived on a report of someone illegally  
smuggling labors into the country. When we got here, we discovered ten each  
of four different nation's military labors- Doshka's from Russia, Brochen's  
from Germany, Juggernauts from America, and Dragon's from China. Upon  
noticing us, the criminals quickly rushed to board these smuggled labors.  
Six escaped in their control- four Doshka's and two Brochen's. One of my  
officers took control of a Brochen sealed the remaining military labors  
inside, but the six escapees are currently engaged in combat with my two  
patlabors. Our captured Brochen is moving in to join them."  
  
"Acknowledged," the Raven pilot said. "Usually, we prefer to work in  
secret, but since you invited us here, we can actually work publically.  
Still, we'd like to restrict our activities as much as possible. Please  
co-ordinate with your labors- you handle the Brochen's. We will move to  
take out the Doshka's."  
  
"Roger," Gomioka replied. "Ohta! Kenji! Yamane! Back off the Doshka's-  
we've got some back-up here which will handle them. Concentrate on the  
Brochen's."  
  
"Yes, sir!" Kenji Iguchi's voice replied.  
  
"Will comply," Seiroku's voice noted.  
  
Gomioka waited patiently, then sighed. "Ohta, acknowledge!"  
  
"I hear you," Ohta growled. "Request permission to continue operating  
against the Doshka's until the back-up arrives."  
  
"Negative- the back-up is here already. Three military labors from Raven  
team."  
  
"You don't think I can handle these things, do you? Look, Captain, I'm  
already-"  
  
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU CAN HANDLE THEM OR NOT!" Gomioka shouted. "OBEY  
YOUR ORDERS!"  
  
"I can't, sir!" Ohta snapped back. "I'm already-"  
  
"You'd better!"  
  
"But-"  
  
A loud explosion shuddered throughout the street, almost knocking Gomioka  
off his feet. "What was that? Hello- does anyone here me?" Not hearing  
any reply, he checked his radio. The shell was torn off of it and some of  
the interior circuitry was exposed. "Damnit, why does this stuff happen to  
me?" he shouted, tossing the ruined radio to the ground and stepping on it,  
smashing it even further.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Shinobu was the first one to return to headquarters. She and her team had  
arrived shortly after Raven team had isolated three of the Doshka's from the  
rest of the fight. Ohta was trying to face off one-on-one against the last  
Doshka, and Kenji Iguchi and Yamane Seiroku were just barely able to match  
up against the two Brochens. Shinobu had brought her third labor, and with  
Kanuka's help three type Zero patlabors were able to move in and overwhelm  
the criminals. Raven Team had demolished the three Doshkas they had  
challenged, and all that was left was mop-up duties. Shinobu had left  
Gomioka to handle that, and returned home to be on call.  
  
When she went back to her office, she noticed that Gotoh wasn't in, despite  
it being his standby shift. At first, she thought he was still asleep, but  
then she noticed a note on his desk. "Gone to Fuji on business- Takeo's in  
charge until I return."  
  
"Why's he in Fuji?" she muttered to herself, returning to her desk. She  
returned to the files on Seiroku, and frowned. He had certainly done a very  
good job earlier today. He had made a mistake, however- he hadn't accounted  
for the fact that 30+ military labors, working together, could easily break  
down a wall of a warehouse and escape. Somewhere out there, Thirty-three  
military labors of various types were in hiding, possibly awaiting sale to  
some element of organized crime here in Japan, or maybe being sent overseas  
to some mercenary outfit or drug cartel.  
  
Regardless, his quick action had apparently saved Unit 3 from being wiped  
out. Had all of the military labors been brought into action, not even the  
arrival of her and Raven team's labors would have been enough. In an action  
like that, survival was the priority, and he helped his team survive. That,  
combined with his previous record, finally made her decision for her.  
Nodding to herself, she darted down the stairs to wait for Gomioka's unit to  
return. She had to have a talk with this young man.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gotoh frowned. "These records don't make any sense."  
  
"Eh? What do you mean?" the Academy's records officer said.  
  
"How did he ever pass his background checks?" Gotoh asked. "These records  
are obvious fakes- his listed high school burned down two years before he  
should have started their- I was at that site when it happened. And too  
many of the others things he reports here just sound too faked. The listed  
names for his relatives are identical to various historical personages, for  
example."  
  
The record keeper shrugged. "I dunno about the high school, but the  
relatives thing could just be a coincidence."  
  
Gotoh frowned. "Did you guys actually conduct a background check on this  
guy?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Thanks to budget constraints, we only conduct real  
background checks on one out of every ten people. We usually just call the  
phone numbers they give to make sure the references the candidate gives  
really exist."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "I see. Tell me, do you still fingerprint everyone, or has  
that been lost due to 'budget constraints' too?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Unit Three pulled into the building and its members slowly started leaving  
their vehicles. They looked worn out- as if they were about to collapse on  
their feet. In fact, last time Shinobu had seen people looking this tired,  
she later caught Noa Izumi sleeping in a closet after a battle with the  
Griffin.  
  
Gomioka looked decidedly upset, but upon seeing Shinobu he seemed to  
restrain himself. "Captain," he said formally, bowing his head.  
  
She thought about trying to see if she could soothe him- obviously, he was  
upset about something which happened on the assignment, but she decided it  
would be inappropriate for her to do anything. He had to learn to deal with  
things on his own.  
  
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Seiroku, if I may."  
  
He nodded. "Of course. SIEROKU!"  
  
The young man tiredly jogged over to the two captains. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"Captain Shinobu wants to have a word with you."  
  
Shinobu nodded. "Yes, please... can you come up with me to the office? I  
want to talk with you in private."  
  
He looked uncomfortable, but nodded. "Yes, ma'am."  
  
She lead the man up into the office, and sat at her desk. "Please, sit  
down."  
  
Nervously, he did. "Um, yes, ma'am." He paused. "Am I in trouble, ma'am?"  
  
Shinobu's eyes widened in surprise. "No, of course not! Why do you think  
you are?"  
  
Seiroku hesitated. "Well, we didn't succeed in stopping the smuggling  
ring..."  
  
Shinobu shook her head. "In that situation, there was no way to succeed.  
Survival was the important thing, and you enabled your team to survive."  
  
He looked relieved. "Thank you for your support, ma'am."  
  
"Actually, I called you up here to offer you a new position," she noted.  
  
Seiroku looked confused. "Ma'am?"  
  
"There's a vacancy in the SV2 at Osaka for a labor pilot. Gomioka submitted  
your name for that position, saying that you had expressed to him a desire  
to pilot labors. The nomination requires that either I or Captain Gotoh  
second him. I've been checking out your record, and I believe you are MORE  
than capable of handling the assignment..."  
  
Seiroku smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, ma'am, but... please don't. If it  
means leaving Captain Gomioka, I'd rather not."  
  
Shinobu was surprised. She, personally, thought rather well of her former  
labor pilot and second in command. However, she didn't think he'd been  
doing a very good job at being a captain so far- yet it seems he was able to  
inspire loyalty in some of his men, after all. Maybe he was actually  
learning something about the job, after all.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't think it's likely you'll wind up with a  
pilot's position here."  
  
Seiroku hesitated, but nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I know he's not the best,  
but Captain Gomioka has really treated me well. And he needs competant  
people working for him- I may not be the best, but I can see that he needs  
more people like myself and officer Clancy if he wants to succeed. I want  
him to succeed, and I'm afraid he won't be able to grow into being a good  
commander if I abandon him right now. Maybe after he's had some time to  
grow into his position a bit, but he's already lost one officer in the past  
four months, he shouldn't need to deal with the loss of another so soon."  
  
Shinobu sighed. "Very well, Mr. Seiroku. I'll let Chief Fukushima know. I  
want Gomioka to succeed, myself, you know- I certainly won't force you to  
abandon him so fast."  
  
Seiroku nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."  
  
Shinobu looked down at his folder as he left the office. 'Nice kid,' she  
thought to herself. 'I wish I had a few more like him, myself.'  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gotoh returned to the warehouse portion of SV2 Headquarters from his trip to  
Fuji to find Gomioka more angry than he'd ever seen him before. The target  
of his wrath was a more or less obvious one- Ohta, who constantly did things  
to get his fellow officers mad at him- but the vehemence with which the  
captain was chewing out the labor pilot was shocking.  
  
"You're ALWAYS saying things like 'you don't know what it was like at the  
scene, sir!' or 'A cop is supposed to expect the unexpected!' If I hear you  
say that bullshit ONE MORE TIME, I'm fining you one month's salary  
reduction! AND IF YOU EVER DISOBEY ONE OF MY ORDERS AGAIN, I'M FIRING YOUR  
ASS! You won't EVER pilot a labor again!"  
  
"But-" Ohta started.  
  
"NO BUTS! I've HAD it with your constant excuses. Policemen do NOT fire  
first. Policemen do NOT casually destroy private property. And, most  
especially, policemen do NOT DISOBEY ORDERS!"  
  
Gotoh casually stolled up. "I don't suppose there's anything I can do to  
help?"  
  
Gomioka didn't even look at Gotoh before turning away with a snort of  
disgust. "If he's unwilling to see reason, I've had it with him. He's  
dismissed." With that, he marched stiffly into the building's office space,  
his fists clenched angrilly. His stomache burned painfully, but he had no  
choice but to ignore it.  
  
Gotoh sighed. "So, what happened?"  
  
Ohta shook his head. "I've got no idea. I was in action against some  
Doshkas and Brochens. He ordered me to discontinue action with the Doshkas  
and allow a team of our military labors to deal with them. I asked if I  
could continue with the Doshka until the military team arrived, and my  
request was denied. However, before I got a response it was too late- I was  
already engaged with one. I tried to tell him this, but he refused to  
listen to me."  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "Well, considering how often you've opened fire in  
disregard of posted orders, some of that is justified. But he seemed a lot  
more upset than he should have been, considering things worked out all  
right."  
  
Ohta frowned. "I think he's having some medical problems. I saw him  
fingering a pill bottle while he was lecturing me."  
  
"Ah, ulcers," Gotoh said knowingly. "Well, he's been under a lot of stress  
lately. That's to be expected. Try not to upset him- he'll likely blow up  
a bit more than usual."  
  
Ohta nodded. "Captain... can he really fire me?"  
  
Gotoh shook his head. "Not really- that's not in his power. But he can  
assign you to drive a transport or to run the command car if he wants,  
provided he has someone he can replace you with in your labor."  
  
"I don't want to be anything but a labor pilot, sir," Ohta said. "Unless I  
could get a promotion, that is."  
  
Gotoh shrugged. "I don't think you're in much danger of that, yet. But try  
and stay on Gomioka's good side, or you'll be in a lot of trouble very  
soon."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gotoh stepped into the office quietly, glancing around. Spying Shinobu  
alone, he asked, "Is Gomioka here?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, why?"  
  
"No reason," he said, moving further into the office comfortably. "Just  
curious."  
  
Shinobu smirked up at him. "Well, I offered Seiroku the job, and he turned  
me down. Seems he feels some sense of loyalty to Mr. Gomioka!"  
  
Gotoh frowned. "Is that so?"  
  
"Don't believe me?"  
  
Gotoh shook his head. "You, I believe. But I found out a few things about  
Mr. Seiroku which make me not trust him entirely. Here, take a look at  
this...."  
  
Shinobu took the file he handed her and opened it. Spying the name on the  
front, her eyes widened. "Isn't this the man who killed-"  
  
"No. But he's the younger brother of that man. And it seems Mr. Seiroku  
USED to be this man... until he changed his name- legally, as it turns out.  
Just to cover his tracks further, he put a few white lies on his application  
form to the police so that he could get in without that stigma attached to  
him."  
  
Shinobu looked up at Gotoh. There was a darkness to his features that she  
hadn't seen since... since the first time she met him, back when they were  
just starting to coin the term 'labor crime' and were investigating what to  
do about it. Back when he had been a victim of one of the first labor  
crimes. "What are you going to do?" she asked.  
  
Gotoh sighed. "Give him the benefit of the doubt. I've got enough to drum  
him out of the police with his application fraud, but he's too good a cop to  
just kick him out just for that. And beyond that, well, we no longer make  
people criminals for what their families do." He paused. "I'm not sure  
whether or not I like his refusal to go to Osaka. That could mean one of  
any number of things... but then again, I'm going to be able to keep an eye  
on him while he's here."  
  
Shinobu nodded, and laid a hand on his shoulder. "If something happens,  
though... remember there are people here for you this time."  
  
-------------------------  
Author's Notes: Some of the details mentioned in here about Gotoh's past  
will be portrayed in a future Patlabor: Personal Files, OAV, but which is  
actually mostly irrelevant to the main storyline. I intend to write\post at  
least the first three OAVs following the completion of season 1 (after  
episode 22). At the moment, 10 OAVs are planned, several of which have  
spoilers for upcoming season 2 and 3 episodes. I intend to write several of  
the OAVs which do not have such spoilers between the seasons.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
desaix@sysnet.net  
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee  
anime fanfics available at  
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm  
  



	19. Episode 19: Unhappy Birthday to You

From: "David A. Tatum"   
To: "David A. Tatum"   
Subject: Re: [FFML] [Patlabor][fanfic] Patlabor: Personal Files, Episode 19  
Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 1:23 AM  
  
  
Ya know, if you'd been on the MPPatlaborML (to subscribe, e-mail  
MPPatlaborML-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ) you would have seen  
this chapter a week ago... along with You're In Charge II, Chapter 1,   
and now Patlabor manga translations. If you don't get the hint that I'm   
trying to drum up new members (despite the fact I don't own or mod on   
the list), well... consider this an invite. We could really use more   
members (only about a dozen or so at the moment).  
  
At any rate, here's the fic. Enjoy.  
  
  
Patlabor: Personal Files  
  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
  
  
Episode 19: Unhappy Birthday To You  
  
March 27, 2000  
  
  
  
Noa yawned as Asuma drove them along the highway. "Why'd we have to leave  
so early?"  
  
  
  
He laughed. "It's a five hour drive, and we've got to get there by eleven.  
You CAN sleep, you know- you aren't the one who's driving."  
  
  
  
"I always get a crick in my neck when I sleep in a car," Noa complained.  
She glanced at him with some concern. "Are you sure you want to drive all  
the way, both ways? I DO know how to drive a car, you know, and I DO have a  
license. I've even been there before and know the way."  
  
  
  
"I think I'll be okay," he said. "If I ever start to feel tired, I'll find  
a spot to pull over and we'll switch."  
  
  
  
"If you insist... but I WILL be driving us back to base tomorrow morning-  
you aren't doing this both ways. Are you sure you'll be okay?" she asked.  
"Not just about the driving, but... well, we ARE going to see your father  
again. Last time we went, things didn't go so good."  
  
  
  
"No, they didn't. But I promised him I'd show up for this, so we could try  
and, uh, 'reconcile.' Believe it or not, as bad as it was, looking back on  
it, our best meeting since my brother killed himself was the time you were  
with me." He paused. "Actually, I'm more worried about how the car will  
react to the trip- I haven't been taking very good care of it since joining  
the SV2, and I think I've used it more the past three months or so than I  
have since I bought it four years ago."  
  
  
  
Noa beamed at him enthusiastically. "That's okay. I've gotten pretty good  
at fixing things since the mechanics and Sakaki started..." She suddenly  
sobered, her voice catching. "And Sakaki started training me. Asuma...  
what is the SV2 going to be like without him? He was always able to keep us  
stable, and it was him who kept Alphonse and the other labors so smoothly  
tuned. I can't believe he's going- he's... well, not quite like a father,  
but maybe like an uncle to me!"  
  
  
  
Asuma glanced at her in concern, but quickly turned his attention back to  
the road before he got into an accident. "He's not dying- just retiring. I  
'm sure we'll be able to keep in touch with him from time to time. And  
while Shige's a bit, hmm, overenthusiastic at times, he's also an even  
better technical mechanic than Sakaki and has been able to keep the other  
people in the squad running smoothly when Sakaki isn't there to hang over  
his shoulder."  
  
  
  
Noa nodded. "I know... but I'm still going to miss him a lot."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, well... so am I, but I'm trying to not let it get to me. At least,  
not while he's still with us. He'll be back, anyway- I'm sure of it. Just  
like Kanuka has been." Asuma heard Noa yawn loudly. "If you really don't  
want to sleep in the car, then maybe we should stop and get you a fresh cup  
of coffee or something- it sounds as if you're still having a hard time  
staying awake."  
  
  
  
"I am," Noa admitted. "But don't bother. I think I'll just risk the  
cricked neck and take a nap. I need the rest... wake me when we're about an  
hour away from your father's home, okay?"  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Asuma shook his head, recalling that dream Noa had told him about. It  
certainly was perplexing, and incredibly intriguing. He recalled a similar  
dream he'd had- well, probably not all that similar. Just sort of the same  
theme- he'd had a dream that Noa should have had.  
  
  
  
Recollecting it had been rather fun. Then, just as they were about to pull  
into the driveway to his father's house, he just had to blow it by bringing  
up Sakaki's retirement again. Well, the retirement party, really, but that  
was enough to sadden her. And him, too, now that he thought about it.  
  
  
  
It was, perhaps, the perfect thing to think about right before a visit with  
his father. Set the mood just right. The crick in Noa's neck didn't help  
HER mood, either.  
  
  
  
Together, the frustrated pair walked up to the side door and knocked.  
Tsukai opened the door, and gestured for them to enter. They tumbled in,  
carrying their overnight bags and not looking very happy.  
  
  
  
"Just show us to our rooms and leave us alone for a while to freshen up,"  
Noa muttered.  
  
  
  
The butler surruptitiously glanced over at a nearby clock. "I believe that  
can be arranged. You're in the same rooms as before. The party isn't for  
another half-hour, so you can have until then." He paused. "Your father,  
however, would like to speak with you beforehand, Asuma."  
  
  
  
Asuma sighed. "Of course. Drop my bags off in my room for me, Noa- I'll  
try and get this over with as soon as I can."  
  
  
  
Noa just took his suitcase and muttered, "Yeah, whatever," as she made her  
way down the hall to the rooms she remembered spending the night in last  
time she was there.  
  
  
  
Asuma grimmaced at Tsukai. "Well, lead the way."  
  
  
  
With a flourish, the butler guided Asuma to a room in the middle of the  
residence. There, accompanied by television screens picturing every room in  
the house (including Noa's room, where she was going through her suitcases  
assembling a fresh outfit), sat Okami Shinohara. Okami was definitely NOT  
happy.  
  
  
  
"So, son. Happy to see that you actually came by," he said, in a tone that  
indicated he was anything but happy.  
  
  
  
Asuma frowned at him. Usually, his father waited until after they'd  
formally greeted each other to get upset, but it didn't seem like that was  
the case this time. "I see you're still keeping tabs on everyone in the  
house. Don't you think the cameras in the bathrooms are a bit much?"  
  
  
  
Okami refused to rise to the bait. "Noa seemed to be rather upset when she  
came in, today. I was going to let you in on a little secret, today, but if  
you're not treating that poor girl right then you'll probably never get  
around to using it."  
  
  
  
His son snorted. "Since when have I ever cared whether you give me  
something or not? And, just for your information, she is NOT upset because  
of me. A friend of ours is being forced into retirement, and she's a little  
upset about that."  
  
  
  
The elder Shinohara nodded grudgingly. "I'll buy that. However, even if  
she is upset for some other reason, it is YOUR responsibility to make her  
feel happy, again."  
  
  
  
Asuma bent down, getting right into his father's face. "Like you made MOM  
feel happy when she was 'upset?'" he growled.  
  
  
  
At that, Okami flinched. "Leave your mother out of this. Or, if you want,  
then at least allow me to tell you what mistakes I made with her without  
arguing every step of the way."  
  
  
  
Asuma shook his head. "I may wind up making mistakes with her, but they'll  
be MY mistakes, and on my terms. Noa is different from mother, and if I try  
to treat my girlfriend the way you SHOULD have treated your wife, I'm likely  
to make more mistakes than if I just treated her like she was Noa."  
  
  
  
Okami sighed. "Well, I've tried to warn you, but if you won't listen there'  
s nothing I can do about it."  
  
  
  
Asuma backed off suspiciously. "No pressure? No threats? No..."  
  
  
  
His voice trailed off as he finally saw what was happening on the monitor  
behind his father. Noa was in the process of stripping off her clothes, and  
the picture on the screen showed she was just about to unhook her bra.  
  
  
  
Asuma had seen Noa in various states of undress before. Once, when she was  
fanning herself from the heat while they sat together on the rooftop of SV2  
headquarters, he peaked down her shirt to see that she hadn't been wearing a  
bra. They'd gone swimming enough that he'd memorized what she looked like  
in a swimsuit. Recently, she'd exposed quite a bit more of herself to him  
than he'd seen before, however- when he'd been giving her a massage after  
the Kana concert, she'd been bareback- all she would have had to do to give  
him quite an eyeful would have been to turn over.  
  
  
  
Noa also knew that he was a bit of a peeping tom. Recently, he'd snuck into  
the locker rooms when she was supposed to be changing- that day, however,  
she'd been detained by Shige so that they could go over the upcoming  
available dates and times for her mechanics instruction. So, instead of him  
catching her in a mild state of undress, she caught him peering around the  
lockers from what he'd thought was a pretty good hiding place.  
  
  
  
She'd been good-natured about it at the time. He remembered her berating  
him for the dream she'd just had, because it involved him peeping on her  
(and, Asuma realized, he would probably never hear anyone again say, 'You  
made me have wet dreams about myself, you jerk!' in such a good-natured way  
again). She even gave him permission to watch her 'if he could catch her.'  
However, he hadn't had a good opportunity to see more than she was intending  
to show in a while, and the interesting placement of this camera view was  
giving him a much better shot than he'd likely have seen from the hiding  
spot he'd found in the locker room.  
  
  
  
Asuma's father, however, was completely unaware of the events transpiring on  
the television screen behind him. He just figured that the boy had run out  
of his current supply of vitriol, and was waiting for some kind of response  
before resuming the attack.  
  
  
  
"I'm not going to fight you this time, son," he said. "It is your birthday,  
after all, and I want to at least try and remain civil. So just go, freshen  
up, and get ready for your party."  
  
  
  
Asuma averted his eyes before Noa gave him the unintended surprise birthday  
present of a rather spectacular (in his mind) view. He might like to peep,  
but he was honest about it- if there was no way for him to get caught, then  
it didn't seem fair to the girl he was peaking at.  
  
  
  
"Uh, right, pops. I'd better get going now- see you later." He rushed out,  
not looking back.  
  
  
  
"That was odd," Okami remarked before turning around and seeing what it was  
that had really chased his son from the room. He smiled appreciatively for  
a moment- she might not have the movie-star standards of most of the women  
he dealt with in high society, but for someone like his son she wasn't bad  
looking at all. However, he was quick to flip the switch that gave the girl  
her privacy- that particular sight was one which really should be reserved  
for his son, alone.  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Asuma knocked on the door to Noa's room and waited. A few minutes later,  
she opened it, a big grin on her face.  
  
  
  
"You didn't try to peak this time? It WAS safe to, you know," she said,  
almost laughing. Catching him in the locker room was fresh in her mind, and  
while she did give him permission to peak on her (sort of- she wasn't sure  
what she'd really do if she caught him) she had warned him that if he caught  
her with another girl in that situation, he would be in very big trouble.  
For that reason, it was 'dangerous' for him to try and catch her unawares in  
the locker room or bathrooms, since there was a high probability that one of  
the other girls would be present. This was his first chance since then.  
  
  
  
"No," he said shortly, thinking back to a few minutes ago.  
  
  
  
Noa leaned in, looking at him closely. Her smile grew in size and  
deviousness. "Were you tempted?"  
  
  
  
"You have no idea," he muttered under his breath. "You about ready to go?  
My father's ordering us to lunch."  
  
  
  
She glanced down to make doubly sure she looked okay. "Yeah, I'm ready."  
  
  
  
"Let's go, then," he said. As he lead her out of the room and took her arm  
to help guide her, he smirked. "Don't think you're completely safe, though,  
even though I haven't tried yet. I have your permission, now, after all."  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
The lunch started out as a rather quiet affair. Asuma and Okami were  
shooting dark glances at each other across the table, and Noa didn't quite  
know what to say. Thankfully, someone joined them who helped to open up the  
discussion.  
  
  
  
"Well, happy birthday, Asuma! It's wonderful to see you here," Jitsuyama,  
following Tsukai into the room, proclaimed jovially. There was a slight  
emphasis on the word 'here.'  
  
  
  
"Jitsuyama!" Asuma crowed, an honest smile breaking out on his face. "I had  
no idea you were planning to come by."  
  
  
  
"And miss your birthday party? Hardly!" the elderly plant engineer laughed.  
"Sorry I'm late, sir."  
  
  
  
Okami waved a hand dismissively. "What kept you?"  
  
  
  
"Minor accident on the assembly line," Jitsuyama said, sitting down at the  
table.  
  
  
  
"Was anyone hurt?" Noa asked, concerned.  
  
  
  
"How much damage did the plant suffer?" was the elder Shinohara's  
simultaneous question.  
  
  
  
"It turned out to just be a piece of cloth jammed into one of the conveyer  
belts. We were able to get it out with no damage and little time lost, but  
then I had to file all the necessary reports and things." Nodding to Noa,  
he added, "And no, no-one was hurt."  
  
  
  
Asuma snorted. "Typical of you to worry more about the equipment than the  
people, pop."  
  
  
  
Okami opened his mouth to respond, but shut it again with a snap. "I said I  
didn't want to fight with you today, son, so I won't. I think a change of  
subject is in order, don't you?"  
  
  
  
Asuma just nodded, returning to his food without comment. Noa looked from  
him to his father in concern, but said nothing. Jitsuyama decided to push  
the conversation forward- though he thought it best if he not direct his  
attention to the fueding family members.  
  
  
  
"Well, Noa, I wasn't expecting to see you here. How'd you get an invite?"  
he asked with only slightly forced enthusiasm.  
  
  
  
Noa smiled a little, glad for the distraction. "Well, Asuma and I had to  
come by a few weeks ago on a case, so I got to meet his father, and... well,  
I could hardly miss my partner's birthday celebration, could I?"  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama smiled. "Of course not. How are things going out there in the  
SV2? We haven't seen much of your unit's labors, recently."  
  
  
  
Noa winced. "Well, we've been out of major action, recently, thanks to my  
having been injured recently in a non-labor-related incident. We've had  
some minor cases, but nothing which resulted in any damage to Alphonse."  
  
  
  
"Oh? What happened to you?"  
  
  
  
"Interdepartmental softball game," Asuma answered for her. His hands  
tightened around the water glass he was holding as he recounted the story  
for his father and family friend. Everyone in the room could see his anger  
against the riot squad rising as he remembered how she was injured. They  
could also see, just as clearly, how he was almost instantaneously calmed by  
Noa's gentle grasp on his shoulder.  
  
  
  
"He stayed with me the whole time I was in the hospital," she added  
wistfully after he had finished. "He used up a lot of his accumulated leave  
time to do it, as well- he's lucky he had enough to come here today."  
  
  
  
Okami clucked his teeth, and Asuma braced himself for the reprimand he was  
sure would come. In fact, he could hear the lecture in his head already-  
that he shouldn't have 'neglected his duties to his job' to be with her  
while she recovered. No words of reproach left the elder man's mouth,  
however. Instead, he directed his attention to Noa, herself.  
  
  
  
"I'm amazed that, after all the action you've been in, it was just a simple  
softball game that sent you to the hospital," Asuma's father began briskly.  
  
  
  
She smiled pleasantly at him. "Well, sir, you've built your labors well.  
Alphonse, my Ingram, has protected me well, even after having been nearly  
ripped apart in some actions." Noa shuddered as she recalled her first  
major action against the Griffon, and the near nervous breakdown that  
incident had caused. "Your son's done a good job of watching my back, as  
well. He's saved me from certain disaster quite a number of times."  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama shook his head. "I remember seeing some of those incidents on the  
news- it's scary how much action you've seen at such a young age."  
  
  
  
Okami nodded. "Yes- I especially recall the incidents involving the  
Griffin. I've seen the tapes, but what was it like to engage in combat  
against that remarkable machine?"  
  
  
  
Asuma sniffed. "Trying to get some insight into your competition, dad?""  
  
  
  
"No, Asuma," his father replied, rolling his eyes. "I've got all the  
statistical data I might need on the Griffin. I'm just trying to make  
conversation- don't be so defensive!"  
  
  
  
Noa sighed. Really, this father-son conflict was too much, but both of them  
had points, sometimes. However, this was one time which, largely because of  
her personal experiences, she knew some of Asuma's bitterness was deserved-  
after all, where was his father when he needed him, then? "Can we talk  
about something else, please?" she asked. "The Griffin incidents were...  
not pleasant memories for me. I wouldn't think they'd be for you, either,  
Mr. Shinohara- your son was nearly killed by the thing."  
  
  
  
"He was?" he said, sounding genuinely surprised. "How?"  
  
  
  
Noa blinked. "You mean you don't know? How he got into a fight with the  
Griffin while he was testing the earliest prototype of your economy-model  
Ingram? How he was battered around in the thing until his ribs were broken?  
How he went to the hospital and..." her voice broke. "Well, it was a hard  
time for all of us in the SV2. But I'm still surprised you didn't know  
about that."  
  
  
  
Okami's eyes flashed at Jitsuyama, but the elder plant chief just shrugged.  
"No, I hadn't heard. I was aware our economy Ingram had been trashed by the  
thing, but I didn't know that was the reason why. I wasn't even aware Asuma  
had been piloting the thing."  
  
  
  
"I had to see if it could stand up to the rigors of police work," Asuma  
explained. "I discovered it was just a piece of junk- the whole thing  
started falling apart from the inside the moment I had to use it with any  
speed."  
  
  
  
Okami frowned. "Is that why you asked for the SV2 to be made test pilots  
for the improved economy model?"  
  
  
  
Noa looked over at Asuma in surprise- she hadn't been aware that he'd  
arranged for that. In fact, she didn't know he COULD arrange for something  
like that. He and his father had still been estranged at the time.  
  
  
  
"I suppose you could say that, yes," Asuma nodded. "I figured that if Noa  
felt that the labor was good enough to replace her Alphonse, then it might  
be worthwhile adopting the economy model. To be honest, I don't think even  
the Peacemakers could have beaten her in that competition you arranged,  
afterwards."  
  
  
  
Okami shrugged. "From what I know of the battle with the Griffin, I must  
agree. Tell me, Ms. Izumi, what is your background in labor piloting prior  
to joining the Patlabor division of the police?"  
  
  
  
"Background? I'd never actually piloted a labor, before," Noa said. "I'd  
always wanted to, however, and it seemed like a good way of doing it. I  
worked as a meter maid to send myself to the academy, and it wasn't until I  
got to Fuji I had any training at all. I had about 40 hours worth of labor  
time in simulations and training labors when I first started piloting  
Alphonse..."  
  
  
  
He looked at her in surprise. "Really? I'm amazed that someone like you  
would get an opportunity to pilot a patlabor with no prior experience..."  
  
  
  
Noa frowned, not liking how that sounded. "What to you mean 'someone like  
me?'"  
  
  
  
The elder Shinohara shrugged. "A mere slip of a girl like you- combat  
labors weren't designed with people like you in mind. Why, the mere  
physical demands, alone, are more than most women should have to endure."  
  
  
  
Noa grit her teeth. "You mean, just because I'm a girl, I shouldn't be  
piloting Patlabors?"  
  
  
  
Okami shook his head. "No, no, no- you misunderstand me. Well, you're  
partially right, but that's not what I meant. When we were calibrating the  
tests for combat labors, such as your Ingram, we had a default model for the  
pilot which did not include feminine body types. We simply weren't  
expecting women to pilot them."  
  
  
  
"But women were piloting MILITARY labors, then! I know- I've met some of  
them. And unit 1's captain is a woman, and she was one of the first  
Patlabor pilots! Why wouldn't you expect women to pilot labors?" Noa  
exclaimed.  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama, Tsukai, and Asuma all shared glances of equal dismay. They knew  
where this was headed, and couldn't think of how to head it off.  
  
  
  
"Dad, don't-" Asuma tried to say.  
  
  
  
Ignoring his son, the elder Shinohara answered, "Well, isn't it obvious?  
Piloting labors, combat, fighting, making arrests- those are all mens work.  
Women in the police aren't really supposed to be anything other than meter  
maids-"  
  
  
  
There was a loud snapping sound as Noa stiffened so quickly that the crick  
in her neck popped. "And why is that?" she said evenly.  
  
  
  
"Well, imagine if you got yourself hurt? A woman's prospects for marraige  
would be GONE, just like that, if something happened! Why-"  
  
  
  
"DAD!" Asuma bellowed, interrupting the argument and bolting out of his  
chair. "THIS is why we get into so many fights. Have you forgotten that  
this is now the 21st century? Do you even know what you're SAYING?! Why-"  
  
  
  
"No, Asuma," Noa said coolly, laying a hand on his shoulder and forcing him  
back into his seat. "Your father is entitled to his opinions. Which, as it  
turns out, mirrors my father's as well. My father didn't want me to get a  
job in labors, either." With determination, she picked up her chopsticks  
and started eating. "And I can ignore him, just like I do my own dad. So  
hurry up and finish eating- it's easier to ignore someone if you can walk  
away from them when they start acting stupidly."  
  
  
  
Asuma settled down, but continued to glare at his father as he rapidly  
(though civilly) devoured his birthday lunch. Noa finished shortly before  
he did, and she stood up. "I've got something I've got to do- can you come  
help me, Asuma?"  
  
  
  
Asuma just nodded, pausing to send one last angry look at his father before  
scrambling out of the room after her- like, most of those present would have  
noted in more pleasant circumstances, a puppy dog following its master.  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama and Tsukai both turned harsh eyes towards the Shinohara patriach  
as well. He had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "Oops," he said.  
"I seem to have offended the girl."  
  
  
  
Tsukai said nothing, just turning and leaving the room without a word.  
Jitsuyama, on the other hand...  
  
  
  
"'Offended the girl' you say! Talk about the understatement of the year,"  
he snapped. "You shouldn't antagonize people like that- doing it to your  
own son is bad enough. But to his friends!? And what was she doing here,  
anyway? I understood this was a family gathering, only."  
  
  
  
"She is family," Okami replied.  
  
  
  
"Is she? How?" the engineer asked curiously.  
  
  
  
"Well, they've been dating for a few months, now," Okami replied. "I was  
going to let Asuma know that I'd arranged a dowry for her with her parents,  
so he could go ahead and ask her if he was thinking about-"  
  
  
  
"WHAT?!" Jitsuyama bellowed, erupting out of his seat much like Asuma had  
done, earlier. "Do you know just how much trouble everyone in the entire  
Tokyo Police department- and the SV2 in particular- have gone through to  
keep their relationship officially a secret? Everyone knows, those two are  
the best damned tandem team in the entire world when it comes to operating a  
Patlabor, and so all the 'evidence' of their relationship is ignored. But  
if word came out that a dowry had been arranged, do you KNOW what would  
happen? Internal Affairs couldn't just sweep that under the rug- it would  
have to investigate. And the investigation would easily show that they were  
having some kind of relationship that would be forbidden in the bylaws of  
the force. They'd be separated, at best- more likely, thrown off the force  
altogether. Both of their names would be smeared across the papers- not  
just because he's your son, but because they ARE known as the most effective  
team in all of SV2... which, as you are no doubt aware, doesn't have much of  
a reputation to begin with. Their lives would be ruined. And, if that  
isn't enough to make you realize just how dangerous that is, if THEY were  
caught up in this scandal, then the entire Patlabor program is likely to  
crumble. Which means we lose possibly the most lucrative contract in the  
country."  
  
  
  
Okami blinked up at his chief plant engineer, stunned that the man would  
have the audacity to speak to him that way. Then he thought about what the  
man was saying, and sighed. "Relax, old friend. It's not as bad as you  
think- both I and Noa's father know enough to keep it a secret. Only he, I,  
and my lawyer knows. And my lawyer only knows because I had to change my  
will." He paused. "Asuma's getting everything when he marries her. But  
not until he marries her, even if I pass on before then. We even worked it  
out so that inheritance laws aren't a concern if they don't marry before I'm  
dead- and they'll still be able to keep it a secret."  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama frowned. "I still don't like it..."  
  
  
  
"And if it's officially such a 'secret,' how do you know about their  
relationship, anyway?" Okami asked, grinning.  
  
  
  
"How do YOU know?" the engineer shot back.  
  
  
  
"They told me. Now answer my question."  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama was startled by that answer. "They... TOLD you? They admitted  
it?"  
  
  
  
"The girl did, specifically."  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama whistled. "I never thought that would happen. I figured they'd  
elope on you, first- if they started admitting it at all. How long ago was  
this? Officer Yoriko, one of the traffic cops in Bokuto province, has been  
running a betting pool for how long it would take for them to realize they  
liked each other. I had Valentines Day of this year...."  
  
  
  
Okami blinked. "Just... how widespread is their 'secret'?"  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama laughed. "Well, everyone knows they like each other. That's  
never been in question- I suspect even the commissioner himself knows, he  
just chooses to ignore it so that no action is taken against them. The  
unofficial official position on it is, 'we all know it's happening, but  
there's no proof so we'll just ignore it.' I imagine it's being kept secret  
on several levels. Only they know how far they've really gone, together,  
exactly, but I suspect outside of them you're on the closest tier to knowing  
the 'truth' about them, since you have their admission. And you're trying  
to keep it all a secret, of course. Then there's the immediate friends and  
associates who weren't entrusted with this information- people like their  
teammates in the SV2. They don't KNOW anything, outside of the obvious-  
they like each other- but they definitely have their suspicions. And, of  
course, they won't say anything, either. Then there's the people who just  
know the rumors, but they, of course, won't risk telling their superiors-  
for one thing, everyone LIKES them, and for another... well, it's just a  
rumor, after all. They don't have any proof. Of course, the superiors  
aren't clueless, they have ears- but they only hear the rumors secondhand,  
in bits and pieces. And, well, why would they act on secondhand rumors  
about something they don't have any real solid evidence about? So they  
never say anything, either..."  
  
  
  
"So, what you're saying is, everyone knows," Shinohara chuckled.  
  
  
  
"Well, all of Tokyo does, at least."  
  
  
  
"Does my son know all of this?"  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama shrugged. "I dunno. He probably knows that there are rumors  
about him and Noa- after all, one time one of his teammates accused him of  
getting the poor girl pregnant! That, though, I can guarantee was before  
anything had actually happened between them, so obviously his accuser was  
wrong. Still, he has to be aware of some of it...."  
  
  
  
"If everyone knows, why do they bother with the secrecy?" Okami asked,  
puzzled. As sad as it was, even he had to admit that Jitsuyama probably  
would understand Asuma's reasoning better than he would. After all,  
Jitsuyama was the one who always babysat the boy whenever he took him into  
work- which was quite often.  
  
  
  
"As I said, there's no proof yet. If they came out and admitted it to their  
superiors, well... Internal Affairs would have to investigate, no question  
there. And I already told you what would happen then...."  
  
  
  
Shinohara sighed. Then he perked up. "Well, it sounds as if this...  
Yoriko, was it? Yoriko's pool is done with. How about I start another one.  
How long do you think it will be before they get new jobs so they can become  
more open with there relationship, anyway?"  
  
  
  
Jitsuyama thought about it and grinned. "Well, Asuma's pretty stubborn  
about things, but once he's made a decision he'll work relentlessly towards  
achieving it. He's also a reluctant romantic, as well. It's a bit of a  
toss-up between February 14th and March 14th next year, for me, but knowing  
him...."  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Asuma sighed as the door to the dining room closed behind them. "Sorry  
about that, Noa," he apologized. "Bringing you here was obviously a bad  
idea."  
  
  
  
Noa shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Like I said back there, he's just  
like my own father. I can't tell you the number of times my dad objected to  
my career in labors, because 'if you get one injury, it's over for you!'"  
She shook her head in disgust. "I just want to take a nice, long bath to  
relieve the stress."  
  
  
  
Asuma ducked into the hallway that their rooms were in, following on Noa's  
heels. "Yeah. I need some time to recover, as well- we've got to deal with  
dad for both dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow."  
  
  
  
Noa went into her room, but then paused. She glanced over at Asuma, an  
unreadable expression on her face. "They're wrong, aren't they?"  
  
  
  
Asuma blinked, joining her. "Eh? Who? What?"  
  
  
  
"If I get one injury, it won't be over for me, will it?" she asked. "You'll  
stick with me, won't you?"  
  
  
  
Asuma nodded. "I'm not quite ready to say 'til death do we part' just yet,  
but essentially that's what I feel right now."  
  
  
  
She grinned. "Thank you, Asuma. I needed to hear that." To reward him for  
his declaration, she pulled him close and started kissing him.  
  
  
  
They'd been doing this a lot, recently. Especially since March 14th, or  
White Day, when Asuma presented her with a rather impressive array of  
chocolates. As it turns out, it was later in that day she'd first caught  
him trying to peep on her... and, for some reason, that had made Noa even  
more decisive in their relationship, taking any opportunity for a make-out  
session she could find. Which wasn't really that often, since it was so  
hard to find enough privacy, but she was definitely upping their  
relationship a bit- and was upping it even more, now. For the first time,  
Noa was guiding Asuma's hands, sliding them under her shirt and up far  
enough that he could feel the lace in her bra.  
  
  
  
It was... enjoyable, that much was certain. But, unfortunately, Asuma was  
all too aware of their surroundings. Once he remembered where they were and  
what they were doing, he pull his lips- and his hand- away. "Not now," he  
whispered hoarsely. "We can't do this now."  
  
  
  
Noa's eyes opened, and she glared at him. She didn't really want to go all  
the way- just to play around a bit- but she would never have expected him to  
just turn her down like this. "Why not?!" she growled, stamping her foot in  
frustration.  
  
  
  
Asuma would have laughed at the picture of Noa, looking like a petulant  
child demanding to know why her toy had been taken away, if he had not felt  
the same desperation. "Not here. My father has cameras in this room- and  
our bathrooms. I've seen his monitor room- earlier today, too- and I  
couldn't find anywhere in this house, or on the surrounding grounds, he  
can't see from there. I don't want him to have a free show of the two of  
us."  
  
  
  
Noa reined in her hormones- she was all primed for a good make-out session,  
but it seemed she wouldn't be able to have one of those right now. "I guess  
we'll have to wait... but now it looks like I'll need a shower. Feels like  
you might need one, too- a cold one."  
  
  
  
Asuma glanced down, noticed the bulge in his trousers, and blushed. "Eep!"  
he screeched, dashing off in the direction of his bathroom. With a grin on  
her face, Noa turned and went into her own.  
  
  
  
'I guess I can turn him on, after all. I was beginning to wonder about  
that,' she thought.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Note: Noa's dream, and the whole 'peeking' incident, are both to be  
recounted in an upcoming OAV. Remember, however, that the OAVs aren't going  
to be started until after episode 22 (and then I think I'll do 4 of them, or  
roughly 1/3 of those planned so far. None of those 4, by the way, will be  
for this incident... as that'll have spoilers for Season 2! Heheheh! (Am I  
evil, or what? Uh, never mind, don't answer that.)  
  
Next Episode: Kanuka heads off for her assignment to the Academy, Unit 2 in  
tow. By the time Gotoh returns to headquarters, however, crime is on the  
rampage and the rest of the SV2 is falling apart.  
  
-------------------------  
David A. Tatum  
desaix@sysnet.net  
http://davecon.anifics.com 


	20. Episode 20: Running Rampant

From: "David A. Tatum"   
To:   
Subject: [MPPatlaborML] [fanfic] Patlabor: Personal Files, Episode 20  
Date: Monday, April 01, 2002 5:39 PM  
  
Well, lotsa foreshadowing for season 2 (episodes 23-44) here. Enjoy.  
  
  
Patlabor: Personal Files  
  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
  
  
Episode 20: Running Rampant  
  
April 1, 2000  
  
  
  
Shinshi walked into Kanuka's dorm room, watching her as she finished  
packing. She looked over at him, surprised- he wasn't usually one to come  
by unexpected.  
  
  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"There's no chance I can convince you to stay here and command Ohta, is  
there?" he asked wearily.  
  
  
  
Kanuka smirked. "You're on your own for that one from now on. Sorry."  
  
  
  
Shinshi sighed. "I sometimes wonder if I'm really cut out for this job.  
But if I quit, I'm sure Tamiko would be annoyed."  
  
  
  
"You've dealt with Ohta before, you can do it again. But I get the feeling  
you're not down here just to ask me to stay." Kanuka asked.  
  
  
  
Shinshi nodded. "Yeah- actually, I'm acting as Gotoh's messenger boy. He  
wanted me to let you know Unit 2 is going to accompany you down to the  
Academy. He said something about wanting to give the new recruits a  
demonstration of 'professional Patlabor skills,' but I got the feeling there  
was more to it than that."  
  
  
  
Kanuka raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Well, I'll figure it out when I get down  
there... is he offering a ride?"  
  
  
  
Shinshi laughed. "Actually, they want you to help drive. They're taking  
all three Ingrams with them, and were hoping you'd take the third command  
car. Gotoh agreed to loan the Academy Labor 3 for the coming semester, with  
the provision that Fuji use its budget to pay for it's restoration to  
servicable condition and maintenence during that period. Anyway, that's all  
I came down to say, except for Unit 3's farewell party is commencing in  
about 20 minutes. I know you hate these things, but at least we didn't  
break into your apartment to host it, this time."  
  
  
  
Kanuka turned a dark look on him. "Yes, I still remember that time. And I  
am still not very happy about it...."  
  
  
  
Shinshi swallowed. "Uh, yeah. See ya soon, ma'am," he said quickly,  
darting out of the room as fast as his feet allowed.  
  
  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser," Kanuka said to herself in English. "Why does  
Gotoh want me to have a patlabor at Fuji?"  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
"Hmm. This is a lot more comfortable than the last time I rode with you in  
the command car," Noa commented, stretching her legs in the relatively roomy  
seats of the car's cabin.  
  
  
  
"There aren't any insane mechanics trying to kill me for percieved slights  
to their idols, this time around," Asuma noted dryly. "Did you come up with  
an official excuse for joining me here as opposed to Hiromi in the labor  
transport?"  
  
  
  
Noa nodded. "Yeah. Hiromi said he'd help us out by taking some spare seeds  
from our vegetable gardens as a gift for one of the instructors in Fuji  
which would take up my seat in the transport." She paused. "I dunno if  
anyone will even ask, though. Hiromi and Takeo knew just from watching us  
that we were going out, and you say that Gotoh's been giving us strange  
looks now and then. Joudo suspects something, I think, and even Natsume  
seems to understand about us. And, well, I wouldn't put anything past  
Kanuka...."  
  
  
  
"I suppose we really only need to worry about our 'public displays of  
affection' when we're with the gang," Asuma agreed. "I still worry, though.  
Even if our friends are willing to ignore it, if they accidentally let  
something slip I'm pretty sure Internal Affairs would have our hides tied up  
in an investigation faster than we could blink. And you'll never believe  
who just got put on the Internal Affairs review board."  
  
  
  
"Who?" Noa asked, curious.  
  
  
  
"Captain Takada Toshinori."  
  
  
  
Noa frowned. "Who's he?"  
  
  
  
Asuma grimmaced. "I think you'd remember, since it was under his orders  
that one of the members of the riot squad sent you to the hospital...."  
  
  
  
"Him?" Noa said, shifting uncomfortably on her seat. "Well, that was just a  
silly softball game, and it happened months ago. Surely he's forgotten  
about it by now... and even if he hasn't, why would he hold a grudge against  
us?"  
  
  
  
Asuma shrugged. "I met him when he came by to deliver an 'official apology'  
to you at the hospital- you were in surgery at the time, though. He never  
returned, either... and I'm glad. I never met someone so... vindictively  
cold in my entire career in the SV2. I'm afraid that he WOULD hold a grudge  
against Captain Gotoh, at least, and the scandal that he could raise over  
any investigation into our relationship would be a perfect weapon for him.  
He wouldn't care what other damage he caused, as long as he got the  
Captain."  
  
  
  
"Oh," Noa replied quietly. She contemplated what that might mean to them,  
and found herself vaguely disappointed. "I suppose we need to be especially  
careful while we're at the Academy, huh?"  
  
  
  
Asuma smiled bitterly. "Pretty much. We need to be more careful, period-  
we don't want any rumors getting into the wrong hands. I guess we need to  
cool things down for a while when we're on the job. Our next vacation time  
doesn't come until May, unfortunately, so it looks like we may have to wait  
a while before we can 'indulge' in each other, again."  
  
  
  
Noa huffed. "I don't like it- things were just getting interesting!"  
  
  
  
Asuma coughed, straining against his surprise at her bluntness to hold onto  
control of the car. 'interesting' was a very unusual way of putting it.  
Things had been getting a bit steamy between them- their make-out sessions  
had started including a little more risque carressing- at first, some clumsy  
gropes through their clothing, but the way things were moving they'd have  
started removing a few pieces of those clothing pretty soon. Unfortunately,  
this seemed to shove a monkey wrench into things.  
  
  
  
"Uh, yeah, they were," he admitted, clearing his throat. "I hate it, too,  
but what are our options? Are you willing to risk losing your job- and  
Alphonse- just for more necking sessions?"  
  
  
  
"No," Noa replied, defeated. "But in May, you and I are going somewhere  
fun, just the two of us, alone. And we'll see if we can't make up for the  
time we'll have lost, okay?"  
  
  
  
"Deal," Asuma agreed.  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Chief Sakuma, Commandant of Fuji's Special Vehicles Academy, stepped up to  
the small convoy after the contingent of police officers had finished  
parking. The incoming freshmen for the semester that was about to begin had  
assembled in formation behind him, standing at attention. When Gotoh left  
his car, he stepped up to him.  
  
  
  
By the time Sakuma reached Gotoh, much of the rest of the second unit had  
managed to park and swarm over to their Captain. Sakuma, however, ignored  
them. Saluting Gotoh, he said, "Hello, Captain. Welcome back to Fuji."  
  
  
  
Gotoh returned the salute lazily. "Chief Sakuma. Any promising students  
trying out for Section 2 this year?"  
  
  
  
"Yes, yes. Of course. There's one incoming freshman, though, who might be  
a bit of a troublemaker. I think I'd better call your attention to her,  
right away."  
  
  
  
"Oh?" Gotoh said, not sounding the least bit surprised. "Is that so? Well,  
let's see this troublemaker!"  
  
  
  
"Of course," Sakuma said. "Cadet Mahoko! Front and center!"  
  
  
  
A young girl, her long hair tied up in a bun, darted forward, a huge grin on  
her face. "Cadet Mahoko GOTOH, reporting for duty, SIR!" she said,  
saluting.  
  
  
  
Gotoh, his face expressionless, saluted his niece back... this time with a  
lot more conviction. He turned to the chief. "So, this is your  
troublemaker?"  
  
  
  
Sakuma stifled his laughter to reply. "Yes, that she is. Her uncle was a  
pupil of mine, once, and she's bound to give me at least as many ulcers as  
he did." He grinned at Mahoko. "At ease."  
  
  
  
Laughing herself, Mahoko launched herself at her uncle, circling her arms  
around his neck in a big hug. "Hi, Uncle Gotoh!"  
  
  
  
Curling his lip up affectionately, Gotoh gave her a one-armed hug back.  
"Hi, Mahoko. How's the first day coming?"  
  
  
  
Around them, the entire unit he commanded gaped. "So, THIS is why he  
insisted on coming along," Kanuka muttered.  
  
  
  
"And here I was, afraid he was bringing us with him because he suspected  
something dangerous was going on," Asuma added, grinning slightly at the  
scene before him.  
  
  
  
Noa, who was still upset at having lost three weeks of being able to make  
out with Asuma (for, while they had just agreed to cool things off a bit,  
they were still going to be able to kiss when they got back), frowned.  
"Why'd he have to bring us with him, then?"  
  
  
  
Asuma just placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly- a  
comforting gesture to let her know he regretted the lost time, too, but also  
reminding her not to get upset over it.  
  
  
  
"Heh," Joudo snorted to himself- out of Noa and Asuma's hearing- with a  
half-smirk. "Well, I've seen drunken officers on duty in our unit, I've  
seen procedural violation that would send the police commissioner into a  
heart attack, I've seen our captain hitting on another captain, I've seen  
two member of Labor 1's team participate in a forbidden relationship, and  
I've seen mechanics sabatoging the crew's vehicles... I'm honestly surprised  
it took this long for me to see my first case of nepotism."  
  
  
  
Takeo, Natsume, and Hiromi remained quiet, although Natsume kept looking  
between her captain and Mahoko in confusion.  
  
  
  
"What's the matter," Joudo finally asked.  
  
  
  
Natsume blinked up at him owlishly. "I don't recall ever seeing Captain  
Gotoh look at anyone like that before."  
  
  
  
Joudo shrugged. "Well, we've never seen him around family before, either,  
have we?"  
  
  
  
Natsume tapped her chin cutely, squinting her eyes as she thought hard.  
"No, I guess we haven't."  
  
  
  
Joudo looked to where Asuma was holding Noa's shoulder in such a familiar  
matter, then back to Natsume's cute 'thinking' pose. 'Hmm,' he thought to  
himself. 'If they don't mind ONE couple in this unit, why would they mind  
two? And it's not like Captain Gotoh can complain, as much as he pursues  
one of HIS fellow officers...."  
  
  
  
That train of thought was abruptly ended when Gotoh snapped an order at  
Kanuka. "Luitenant Clancy, front and center."  
  
  
  
With the ever-present disciplined fierceness she always exuded, Kanuka  
strode forced and faced the captain with hardly a glint of unusual emotions  
in her eyes. "Yes, sir!"  
  
  
  
"This is my niece, Mahoko. Though you will know her as Cadet Gotoh," he  
noted, gesturing to the young girl who was smiling up at him.  
  
  
  
Kanuka patiently kept herself from rolling her eyes or commenting on how she  
had already heard that part- after all, she knew Gotoh was much brighter  
then he often let on. "I see, sir."  
  
  
  
"Now, I'm not going to ask you to show her any favoritism. Not only is it  
against the rules, but I'm pretty sure I'd just get her angry if I did," he  
explained. "However, she's like a daughter to me, and I hope you'll keep  
track of her progress and let me know how she's doing from time to time."  
  
  
  
Kanuka nodded. "Very well, sir, I think a limited degree of feedback would  
be acceptable."  
  
  
  
Gotoh smiled happily- a very strange expression on his face. "Good. We'll  
be on hand until the Twentieth, however, to provide experienced guidance in  
these first few weeks. Now, how about we unload those Ingrams and show  
these cadets what REAL Patlabors handle like?"  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
April 11, 2000  
  
  
  
Gotoh checked over the papers he had assigned to the cadets he had been  
mentoring. Few of them took him seriously, it appeared... though he was  
pleased to see his niece was not one of those people. Gotoh sighed- well,  
that was to be expected. Most people desperately tried to avoid service in  
Section 2 with the Patlabors- their reputation was... not the best. Most  
people at Fuji were in training to join Special Vehicles Section 1- Fire and  
Rescue. Section 3, the military, had a seperate training facility, but a  
few reserve units also trained alongside the other Special Vehicles teams.  
Patlabor candidates were few and far between, it seemed, despite the  
increasing demand for new officers as new units were established.  
  
  
  
Asuma, Noa in tow, had taken a few select cadets and was attempting to  
provide them with additional instruction. Hiromi had apparently sequestered  
himself in with the groundskeepers at Fuji, however, as he didn't really  
have much to teach. Joudo and Natsume, both being recent graduates  
themselves, were merely catching up with old friends who had been  
underclassmen when they were still in the Academy.  
  
  
  
As had happened once before, Takeo and Kanuka had been developing something  
of a rivalry in their instruction. Takeo had volunteered to be a guest  
lecturer on standard operating procedures for policework and similar  
subjects, and was attempting to show more progress with HER students than  
Kanuka's own assigned classes. All in all, Gotoh was viewing this whole  
thing as a favorable venture.  
  
  
  
"Captain Gotoh?" a voice belonging to one of the administrative staff of the  
facility beckoned from the door.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?" he replied, not looking up.  
  
  
  
"Telephone for you, line 3. It's from a Captain Nagumo."  
  
  
  
"Shinobu?" he replied, perking up. "Thank you! I'll take it here.  
Dismissed."  
  
  
  
"Yes, sir." The man nodded from the doorway before leaving.  
  
  
  
He picked up the phone, pressing the button to connect him to the proper  
line. "Hi, Shinobu! I've been trying to get in touch with you for days and  
haven't been able to get through- what's going on?"  
  
  
  
"Gotoh," her tired-sounding voice replied. "We've been up to our necks in  
action since you've left. All sorts of problems are creeping up, both with  
calls and with the third unit- we need you back here, now."  
  
  
  
"What's going on?" Gotoh replied, concerned. Shinobu never sounded this  
worn out, as far as he could remember.  
  
  
  
"It's a long story... all I can say is we need you back here as soon as  
possible. Any chance you could get back here a little early?"  
  
  
  
Gotoh frowned. This could be any number of things, but if his suspicion was  
correct... "All right, we'll pack up and head on back tomorrow. See you  
soon."  
  
  
  
"Thanks, Gotoh," she replied, the relief evident in her voice. Suddenly, in  
the background, he could hear an alarm going off. "Oh, shit- Gotta go.  
Hurry back soon." With that, the phone disconnected.  
  
  
  
Gotoh blinked at the phone. That didn't sound like Shinobu at all...  
whatever it was must REALLY be distressing her.  
  
  
  
He pressed a button on the intercom. "Yes, sir?" came a new voice from the  
other end.  
  
  
  
"Please inform the commandant that my unit will unexpectedly have to leave  
tomorrow, and then see to it that my niece comes to my office pronto. I  
want to discuss a few things with her before I go."  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
April 12, 2000  
  
  
  
Noa slipped opposite Asuma into the command car, puffing slightly as she  
recovered from the rush to finish packing and loading that Gotoh's  
surprisingly frenzied orders to return to their headquarters that morning  
demanded.  
  
  
  
"I think that's the fastest I've ever packed in my life," she sighed,  
buckling her seatbelt.  
  
  
  
Asuma chuckled, doing a last minute check of the instrumentation of the  
vehicle. "I warned you that you shouldn't pack too much when we came down  
here."  
  
  
  
"I was expecting to be gone for three weeks!" Noa fussed. "And you could  
have helped me, you know."  
  
  
  
"I had my own packing to do," Asuma answered, starting the car and driving  
it out slowly to follow Hiromi and their labor transport.. "And I had to  
let our 'students' know we were leaving, and give them some last minute  
pieces of advice."  
  
  
  
Noa shook her head. "What was it this time? How to hide beer in a police  
stations refridgerator?"  
  
  
  
Asuma shook his head. "Nah, told them about that a couple days ago."  
  
  
  
Noa laughed. "I still can't believe you started their 'lessons' with that  
same lecture you gave me about how daily life is a 'struggle for survival'  
when I first came to SV2. MOST of these people aren't going to be sent to  
our station, you know- why do you think THEY would need to learn how to farm  
their own food?"  
  
  
  
Asuma sighed. "I know they might go to some other SV2 building, but...  
well, I've seen the one at Kanazawa. That one is in an even WORSE position  
than we are- they don't even have a restaurant that delivers lunch, OR  
someone with as green a thumb as Hiromi. They're located so far away from  
the city, in fact, they can't even make use of a nearby convenience store.  
I have NO idea how they keep themselves fed... so I figure it couldn't hurt  
if they knew to expect that kind of thing."  
  
  
  
Noa frowned. "When did you ever go to Kanazawa?"  
  
  
  
"My first assignment was at the Kanazawa station. They hadn't completed the  
labor facility, and we didn't even HAVE a Patlabor at the time. That's  
where I first met Ohta. Then, funding was cut and they decided, instead of  
opening stations in Osaka, Kanazawa, and Tokyo, they'd instead just move us  
all to the place we were most needed, and see if we worked out. Funding  
came back for those other cities' stations, though, after that whole  
incident with Kai. I remember hearing they were re-opening that old  
Kanazawa station, and fearing what that would mean for our fellow labor  
teams."  
  
  
  
"Huh, I didn't know that," Noa said. "One of these days, you and I are  
going to have to sit down and talk a bit about our pasts. I got you really  
mad, once, because I didn't understand the past between you and your father,  
I just knew you were estranged. And I... got SO scared that whatever we  
might have had when I accidentally blurted that whole secret I've kept out  
at you about, uh, losing my virginity." Asuma flinched slightly, but didn't  
say anything, so she continued. "I just think it would be better if we let  
each other know of anything like that might come up like that."  
  
  
  
Asuma shrugged. "Maybe. I really don't know what else you might want to  
hear about me, though- you already know pretty much everything."  
  
  
  
"Oh, really? I haven't heard much about any past girlfriends of yours from  
you, though I've heard from certain sources that you've been a bit of a  
ladies man...." Noa teased.  
  
  
  
"Well, before you, there was only one serious girl in my life. But she was  
way back in high school, and I lost contact with her for so long I hadn't  
known she'd... uh, passed away from heart failure... until over a year after  
she'd died."  
  
  
  
Noa frowned thoughtfully. "Was she named 'Kashima' by any chance?"  
  
  
  
Asuma blinked. "Uh, yeah- how did you know?"  
  
  
  
"I think I heard you say her name, once," Noa replied, offhandedly. "Still,  
even if there weren't any other 'serious' girls in your life, surely there  
are other 'less' serious ones?"  
  
  
  
"Well-"  
  
  
  
The radio crackled suddenly. "This is Gotoh. Be advised, we will be  
exceeding speed limits on this trip. There will be no breaks. If you feel  
it necessary, go ahead and sound the siren."  
  
  
  
"Acknowledged," Asuma said into the radio. He shook his head. "Something's  
gotta be bugging him- Gotoh's been acting funny all day. I wish he'd tell  
us what's going on."  
  
  
  
"Maybe he doesn't know," Noa suggested cautiously.  
  
  
  
Asuma nodded. "Yeah, that makes a little sense. He usually at least gives  
us a hint of what's going on if he knows. And he's telling us to go HOME on  
sirens. Something must be upsetting him."  
  
  
  
"It couldn't be something to do with Captain Shinobu, could it?" Noa asked,  
concerned.  
  
  
  
"Well, if it was just HER, I'm pretty sure he would have gone back himself  
as fast as he could, and not worried about keeping us in a convoy. It has  
to be something where he wants the whole unit together," Asuma supplied.  
"Come to think of it, this whole trip seems wierd. When I found out that  
his niece was attending the Academy, I thought I found the answer, but there  
still seemed to be something fishy with his decision to loan out our third  
labor for a whole semester."  
  
  
  
"A labor at the Academy... heh. Remember when Ohta, Shinshi, and Kanuka  
stole that 'original patlabor' to fight off the military during Kai's  
incident?" Noa laughed, but then frowned. "Come to think of it, they  
wrecked that labor! I forgot about that!"  
  
  
  
However, Noa's memory triggered another thought process entirely in Asuma's  
mind. "Hey, Noa... when Gotoh saw Kai's men watching our station, he made  
sure Alphonse was somewhere the bad guys wouldn't think to look, right?"  
  
  
  
Noa nodded. "Yeah... and I never DID thank him for that."  
  
  
  
"What if he's doing the same thing again? Maybe he suspect something  
serious is about to happen, and is trying to make sure we've got an  
emergency labor available, if we need it?"  
  
  
  
Noa thought for a moment. "I dunno... but why isn't he saving Alphonse, if  
so?"  
  
  
  
"Maybe he needs Alphonse somewhere else," Asuma answered. "Or maybe he just  
doesn't know of a convincing reason to send him out somewhere, alone. But  
if we're rushing home... what if he thinks the danger is INSIDE of SV2?"  
  
  
  
Noa blinked. "Asuma, that's ridiculous. Why would he be afraid of US?"  
  
  
  
Asuma shook his head. "Not us. At least, not you or me... but one of the  
new recruits. And not someone in our unit, or he'd just have taken our team  
up with him to the Academy since he wouldn't want whoever it is to know  
where we 'hid' our 3rd labor. No... he thinks there's someone dangerous in  
either Unit 1 or Unit 3. And I have no clue what, but he thinks that they  
might be doing something involving our labors!"  
  
  
  
Noa frowned. "I hope you're wrong, Asuma- I like everyone in the station!  
But... I think to be on the safe side, I'm going to start sleeping with  
Alphonse."  
  
  
  
Asuma kept himself from wincing by mentally repeating the mantra, 'Alphonse  
is JUST a labor- he is not a human being, and Noa sleeping with him is NOT  
tantamount to her cheating on me,' a few times in his head. Finally, he  
answered, "I'm not sure that's a good idea- it's more important that you're  
unhurt than Alphonse, and if someone is determined to sabatoge our labors,  
he'd probably be willing to do anything to the person guarding it. And... I  
couldn't stand it if you hurt yourself like that...."  
  
  
  
Noa nodded. "I'll be careful. But I AM a police officer, and I won't be in  
any more danger than I would be trying to stop any other criminal out  
there."  
  
  
  
Asuma sighed. "Well... maybe I'll join you some nights. Just to make sure  
you're safe, of course."  
  
  
  
Noa smiled. Maybe they wouldn't be holding back their relationship TOO much  
if he was talking about joining her when she was sleeping. "Maybe...."  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Gotoh, seeing nothing that required his immediate attention upon returning  
to their station, made his was at his usual leisurely pace up to his office.  
He was rather surprised not to see Shinobu waiting for him as his car pulled  
up, given how distressed she had appeared over the phone. When he got to  
the office, however, he found out why. She was asleep at her desk.  
  
  
  
'Asleep at your post, eh, Shinobu? What's been happening here, anyway?' he  
thought. He shook her gently.  
  
  
  
"Eh? What- did we get another call?" she asked, starled awake.  
  
  
  
"No," Gotoh said, smiling at her wistfully. He always felt she looked cute  
when she had that sleepy look on her face. "But I figured you might want to  
use my bunk instead of your desk for your nap. And, oh yeah, we're back."  
  
  
  
Shinobu, already exhausted, almost collapsed with relief. "Thank god...  
things have be utterly insane around here. We've had a record number of  
calls the past week, and while my unit is holding its own the third unit has  
fouled up half of its assignments. Ohta and Gomioka are at each other's  
throats, and I'm barely able to keep them apart. There've been an awful lot  
of wierd 'malfunctions' in all the vehicles that seem similar to those  
pranks the mechanics squad played on Asuma, and just this morning Gomioka  
chewed out Shige about it all. Now, Shige's rattled, Ohta's upset, we've  
got some kind of labor crime spree going on, and everyone's utterly  
exhausted. Gomioka and Unit 3 are out on a call right now, and we're stuck  
on standby."  
  
  
  
The alarm went off just as she finished, and the phone started ringing on  
her desk. Automatically, she picked it up. "Shinobu... yes... yes. We'll  
go out right away. Yes, sir." She hung up and sighed. "Damn... another  
call. We've missed several calls because we were down a team, too."  
  
  
  
Gotoh put a hand on her shoulders, keeping her seated. "You don't have to  
go on this one- we'll take it."  
  
  
  
She shook her head. "No... relieve Unit 3 when they get back. They've had  
it worse than we have, and... to be blunt, Gomioka's not handling it very  
well. I managed to get a few hours of naptime- I'll be fine, except for the  
crick in my neck."  
  
  
  
Gotoh nodded. "Understood," he said formally. He didn't quite approve of  
her decision, but she seemed to be more-or-less alright now that she was  
more fully awake. "In the meantime, I think I'll look at your reports..."  
  
  
  
Heading out the door, she nodded. "I knew you would. I've put copies of  
the past week's reports in your chair."  
  
  
  
Gotoh went over to his desk, and saw a pile of papers and manila folders  
almost two feet high. Frowning, he took the stack and set in on his desk,  
then picked up the first folder and started reading....  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
"Damn, Shige, you look like hell," Asuma said, eyeing the mechanic  
critically. "What's been going on around here?"  
  
  
  
Shige grinned weakly at his favorite couple- Asuma and Noa. "Quite a bit,  
actually. More calls then in ages, Captain Gomioka's been on my case about  
lots of wierd malfunctions, a few cars have been in accidents thanks to the  
weather... lots of things."  
  
  
  
Asuma frowned. "What's this about 'wierd malfunctions?'"  
  
  
  
Shige sighed. "Remember all of those pranks our mechanics were playing on  
you back in January?"  
  
  
  
Asuma laughed bitterly. "Considering I almost got killed by them, it'd be  
kinda hard for me to forget."  
  
  
  
Shige nodded. "Yeah. Well, things like that are happening, only worse and  
with more frequency. And there don't appear to be any specific targets...  
although Mr. Seiroku seems to be getting the worst of it."  
  
  
  
Asuma frowned. "Seiroku? Hmm... didn't he get into a fight at that  
softball game?"  
  
  
  
Shige nodded. "Yeah- with Ueki Mashimo from Unit 1. They've apparently had  
a rivalry since their Academy days."  
  
  
  
Asuma smirked. "Is that so...."  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Gotoh frowned at the records he was reading. Well, skimming- he didn't have  
time to make a detailed reading. However, what he saw was pretty  
intriguing. The crime spree seemed technologically oriented, that was  
certain. Specifically, labor oriented.  
  
  
  
Amoung a very few warehouses holding things like computers, televisions, and  
similar electronics, Hishii Industries, a few Shinohara plants, some import  
labor repair shops, and a variety of similar locations had been attacked,  
and robbed, and all of these crimes were protected by the presense of a  
heavy combat labor- mostly security labors like Saturns, but occasionally  
military grade labors like Brochens or even the heavily armored Doshka's.  
Only one of these labors had been captured, and that one had been traced to  
the warehouse raid towards the end of march that had Units 1, 3, and  
Military Labor Team Raven fighting for their lives.  
  
  
  
On the surface, it looked like someone was selling these military labors off  
to criminal organizations so they could have heavier firepower during their  
armed robberies. However, the merchandise stolen by these 'criminal  
organizations' was quite unusual, taken as a whole...  
  
  
  
Gotoh selected several of the reports, and made a few photocopies of them.  
Finding a box, he tossed them in their, putting a newspaper over it and a  
greasy labor replacement part (belonging to a type-97 labor) as a  
paperwieght.  
  
  
  
He heard a labor convoy pulling in. Hoping it was Shinobu, he left the  
office area and stepped into the catwalk overseeing the vehicle bay.  
Unfortunately (in Gotoh's opinion), it was just Gomioka returning from  
whatever assignment he had been involved with.  
  
  
  
Gomioka did NOT look happy when he got out. The first person he saw was  
Shige, and he snapped at the man. Gotoh didn't hear what was said, but it  
was obviously something the man was very passionate about. Meanwhile, Ohta  
was glaring at Gomioka's back before storming off himself. Gotoh just  
sighed and shook his head- tempers were obviously flaring. Perhaps with  
some rest, though, things would calm down. Gomioka was obviously not good  
at handling the stress command provided, it seemed, but he'd had a rough  
time of it. With luck, something would come along to help him out. Then  
again, the SV2 was notorious for having bad luck.  
  
  
  
Shige looked downright crushed at Gomioka's words. The enraged captain of  
unit three, apparently finished with his tirade, stormed off in the general  
direction that Ohta had been moving. Shige had obviously had a difficult  
time since Sakaki retired. Perhaps he needed some words of encouragement.  
Or at least a break in the action. Well, he needed someone to run that box  
over to Sakaki, anyway....  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
The rumble of more vehicles coming into the station attracted Ohta to the  
window. He saw Shinobu's unit, as battle-weary as they had ever been,  
driving into the lot. He also saw Hiromi, heading out to his garden, while  
Asuma and Noa took grass cutters to trim the grounds. He knew that meant  
Unit 2 was back... which meant they would be resuming normal rotations,  
soon. In fact, there was probably already a notice posted.  
  
  
  
Deciding to risk venturing into the break room to see when he could finally  
take a real break, he left his hiding place (while Ohta was anything BUT a  
coward, and while he usually respected his officers, he was not willing to  
stand still and just LET an officer stand there and yell at him for no  
reason. Gomioka was going crazy, and he was obviously taking everyone else  
with him. Even the seemingly indomitable Seiroku, who had been a favorite  
of the captain and who felt an apparently unquestioning loyalty to the man,  
had felt his wrath. Though, usually, the mistakes he made were attributed  
to technical malfunctions, which quickly caused Gomioka to turn his ire onto  
the mechanics division.  
  
  
  
The stress of the whole situation was getting to everyone, it seemed. Even  
Shinobu's team was feeling the effect- he'd heard something about someone in  
division one named Ueki Mashimo (who Ohta hadn't come into contact with very  
often) had gotten into several fights with his teammates. True, Unit 2 had  
been gone for a couple of weeks, but even if they hadn't been there would  
still have been an insurmountable number of calls for several days straight.  
Ohta was starting to think a fourth unit might be useful... even though his  
unit was now understaffed, itself.  
  
  
  
"YOU!" Ohta heard bellowed at him from behind. He spin around to see his  
enraged captain, bearing down at him. "Officer Ohta, WHERE the HELL have  
you been?! We need to talk about your recent performance!"  
  
  
  
Ohta froze like a deer in the headlights. "Uh, well...."  
  
  
  
"WHY are you CONSTANTLY disobeying my orders? Dammit, I thought you might  
actually LISTEN to me if I took the command car in officer Clancy's absense,  
but NO! You-"  
  
  
  
"Now wait just one damn minute!" Ohta snapped back, finally too tired at the  
constant abuse to stand it any more. "You may have been a decent labor  
pilot, but you've done the worst job of being a command car officer of  
anyone I've ever met. I'd RATHER I had Shinshi in command- he was starting  
to catch on to what he was supposed to be doing before Takeo joined our  
unit. YOU, on the other hand, are constantly giving me IMPOSSIBLE orders,  
giving them either too fast or too slow, you either give me so little  
instruction I have no idea what you're trying to tell me to do or you give  
me so much instruction that I can't follow it all! I've been lucky to  
SURVIVE with you as my command car officer, dammit!"  
  
  
  
"Oh, like anyone ELSE has been able to do anything with you," Gomioka  
sneered. "Shinohara was your command, and you wrecked your labor a record  
number of times for a type 96. Kanuka and Takeo tried to deal with you, but  
you've ruined a number of labors under their charge, too. Of all labor  
pilots, you have the WORST record of success. So, maybe you just aren't a  
good pilot no matter the commander, huh?"  
  
  
  
Ohta stiffened. "Sir, I-"  
  
  
  
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! You have been the worst influence on my unit  
since your arrival. You may be a DECENT shot on a stationary target, but  
you've got NOTHING else. I don't see why I keep you as a pilot... in fact,  
I think I'll just relieve you! I've got an adequate substitute pilot  
waiting in the wings for a shot, and I think I'll just give it to him.  
You're not doing a good enough job to bother with, any more. Hell, you  
aren't even a good cop- maybe I should-"  
  
  
  
"Captain Gomioka, stand down," a calm, carefully controlled voice broke in  
from behind him.  
  
  
  
Gomioka stopped mid-rant, spinning around to see a frazzled-looking Captain  
Shinobu, clenching her fists to control her own temper. "Uh, ma'am?" he  
said cautiously.  
  
  
  
"I've heard most of your little lecture, Captain, and I should warn you that  
you don't have a leg to stand on for his removal. As I understand it, this  
latest assignment was blown not by Officer Ohta, but by a mechanical defect  
in a labor. If you were to relieve him for his performance, especially  
after a lecture like THAT, he would have just cause to appeal and to file a  
formal grievance against you, which would place a black mark on your record  
which could never be removed." Kanuka puffed. "I'm sorry, but your whole  
unit has been messing up lately, and it is NOT all Officer Ohta's fault."  
  
  
  
Gomioka was surprisingly humbled. "Uh, yes, Ma'am."  
  
  
  
"Now, we're all tired. Thankfully, Gotoh is here, and will be handling my  
calls until further notice. I am on standby, and YOU, Captain Gomioka, are  
hereby relieved. So, as senior captain of the SV2, I am ordering you to get  
at least 8 hours sleep. You have been making everyone's life a living hell,  
and whatever issues you have are affecting your job performance. You have  
damn near crushed the maintenence squad's spirit, and that's hurting MY  
unit. If you are NOT able to calm down by your next shift, let me know and  
I will have YOU relieved."  
  
  
  
Gomioka swallowed. He felt like he'd just been scolded by his mother. "Uh,  
yes, ma'am."  
  
  
  
Shinobu sighed. "Good. Now go. The sooner you get some sleep, the sooner  
I get some sleep."  
  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
"Curious," Asuma said, going through some files that had just been faxed  
over to him.  
  
  
  
Noa, finishing up some back paperwork, looked over at him. "What?"  
  
  
  
"I've been using my connections from all over to track down any information  
I can on that Ueki Mashimo guy Shige was telling us about, and to see if  
he's got anything of a record," he explained. "He's gotten into petty  
fights and things, but outside of that... well, he's not GOT much of a  
record. His father, however, was arrested once for streetfighting. His  
brother's work, however, is what I thought was so interesting- his brother  
has a mechanic's background."  
  
  
  
"So?"  
  
  
  
Asuma sighed. Sometimes, he wished Noa was a little less dependant on him  
for the detective work. Still, she was good enough to help him out from  
time to time, and that was all that mattered. She certainly had adequate  
skills in enough other areas to make them equal partners in the  
relationship.  
  
  
  
"Well, if someone's sabatoging all of our equipment, it's either a mechanic,  
or someone with mechanical skills. If his brother is a mechanic, isn't it  
possible that Ueki might have picked up some of the training he would need  
for this kind of thing?"  
  
  
  
Noa nodded. "Oh, I see now. Still... what's the point? Do you think  
Captains Gotoh or Shinobu don't already know that?"  
  
  
  
Asuma frowned. "No... I'm pretty sure they do. Maybe, though, they just  
haven't tried to look at that information... well, still, you're right.  
There's not enough info here to do anything. We'll have to continue looking  
into things. In the meantime...."  
  
  
  
"Yes?"  
  
  
  
Asuma grinned. "Well, from now until we've found the saboteur, we're going  
to have just one meeting point for all of our 'encounters.' Ever wonder  
what it would be like to make out in Alphonse's cabin?"  
  
  
  
Noa laughed, a twinkle in her eye. "Why, Asuma... I've never even thought  
about it. Interesting idea, though-" The siren sounded. "That we're not  
going to have time to do right now. Let's get suited up."  
  
  
  
Asuma ran out of the room, following her. After they left, someone else  
came in and started glancing through the papers he had just been reading.  
  
  
  
"Hmm," the person said. "This could be... useful."  
  
  
  
-------------------------  
  
Next Episode: An intruder is caught at SV2 Headquarters. Takeo meets up  
with an old aquaintence- Mr. Richard Wong. And he's no longer with Schaft  
enterprises... but is that a good thing?  
  
-------------------------  
David A. Tatum  
desaix@sysnet.net  
http://davecon.anifics.com  
  
  
  
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	21. Episode 21: An Old Friend Returns

From: "David A. Tatum" desaix@anifics.com  
  
To: "David A. Tatum" desaix@anifics.com  
  
Subject: Fw: [MPPatlaborML] [fanfic] Patlabor: Personal Files, Episode 21  
  
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2003 1:44 PM  
  
My Apologies for the delay. I'd intended to take just 3 months off back  
  
last year (2002) for the summer to work on something original. At the  
  
end of that period, however, my father passed away and my family and I  
  
had to move suddenly. We're only JUST starting to get settled down, and  
  
I'm still having some problems (including one with the router connected  
  
to my new cablemodem -- the hardwired firewall is preventing me from  
  
updating my homepage at the moment, so I haven't been able to fix my  
  
e-mail or update my web page in ages)  
  
If anyone who does anything related to fanfiction (runs a major  
  
archive\review site, writes it, etc.) and will be attending AnimeUSA  
  
(Nov. 21-23 2003 in N. Virginia (Tyson's Corner, technically -- about  
  
20 minutes from my new home)), please let me know. I'm moderating  
  
the fanfic panel there, and I'm VERY desperate for panelists -- I've  
  
only got two tentatives, and I'd like to have 4 panelists and 4  
  
alternates.  
  
If I can't get at least two more panelists, I'll have to cancel the  
  
panel...  
  
which'd be a shame, because while I've been a panelist myself several  
  
times, this is the first time I've moderated one.  
  
Contact me, if interested, at my (relatively) new e-mail of  
  
desaix@anifics.com  
  
Well, anyway, on to the (much delayed) fic.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
Patlabor: Personal Files  
  
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum  
  
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...  
  
Episode 21: An Old Friend Returns  
  
April 13, 2000  
  
Asuma sighed. "I'm not sure 'slumber party in the labor' is quite what  
  
I had in mind when I suggested this," he muttered as he snuck into the  
  
kitchen after-hours. He had a mission -- to find the appropriate snacks  
  
and drinks for his and Noa's plan to spend the night in Alphonse. His  
  
only problem with the plan was that they would be staying up most of the  
  
night 'chatting,' before they'd finally be able to go to sleep... and  
  
that they had an unexpected visitor to this night.  
  
He had the idea that Noa initially wanted the same sort of evening he  
  
had planned- a little necking followed by a midnight snack and then...  
  
well, since they didn't really need to stay awake for this plan to work,  
  
a long night's sleep. Cuddled together... but fully clothed, in case  
  
something did actually happen.  
  
Instead, they'd have to entertain a visitor. Natsume Kawai had  
  
overheard them talking about their plans, and had asked if she could  
  
come. Not wanting to reveal that the planned watch was doubling as a  
  
make-out session for the two of them, Noa and Asuma agreed to let her  
  
come. Natsume had also invited both Shige and Joudo, while Noa (who  
  
figured the whole seduction scheme she had planned was now blown)  
  
invited Hiromi. They'd both decided, after their scheme looked more and  
  
more party-like, to invite Takeo along as well, but she wasn't able to  
  
show. She was planning to head downtown to headquarters in the early  
  
morning to take care of some paperwork, and so couldn't afford the loss  
  
of sleep time.  
  
And since it was their idea, he and Noa would have to get the  
  
entertainment and the food. "It's like something out of high school,"  
  
Asuma continued grumbling to himself. "Or even junior high. Perhaps a  
  
little more adult, though, considering Noa's grabbing some booze."  
  
There'd been some debate as to which of them should go. Asuma was  
  
better able to keep out of trouble if he got caught by his superiors  
  
making the hour-long drive down to the liquor store, but Noa- being the  
  
daughter of a liquor store owner, herself- was better at selecting it.  
  
Asuma hadn't been aware of this particular trait of hers until they'd  
  
started their informal dating, way back before he even realized  
  
consciously he was attracted to her. After all, he wasn't exactly naive  
  
when it came to alchohol himself, and so he'd never gotten into an  
  
argument over beer or wine, before, until he'd taken her out to dinner  
  
one night... and discovered just how picky she was about it. She could  
  
drink him under the table, much to his surprise, and her level of  
  
knowledge on drinks was almost as complete as his was on labors.  
  
She'd been given a budget, so she likely wouldn't get anything too  
  
outlandish, and she knew that she had to get drinks for six. He  
  
doubted, though, she'd go for sake or beer. Especially since they'd  
  
learned that Natsume hated beer.  
  
They couldn't get the appropriate foodstuffs for their party at a liquor  
  
store like the one she was going to, however, so it had been his job to  
  
find something. Considering how poorly stocked the SV2's pantry's  
  
usually were, this would be something of a challenge.  
  
Opening up the refridgerator, he blinked. There was almost nothing in  
  
there except a moldy piece of cheese and an open (and likely flat)  
  
bottle of soda. Things weren't usually that low. Then again, they had  
  
been unable to 'supplement' their diet for some time. The mechanics had  
  
been much too busy to go fishing, the last batch of tomatos Hiromi  
  
picked had long since rotted from age, and (perhaps worst of all) no-one  
  
had been able to go down to the convenience mart since... well, since  
  
before they had left for the Academy. Oddly, only Gotoh's division and  
  
the mechanics ever really bothered to keep things stocked in  
  
headquarters.  
  
Unknown to those in said division, the remaining members of the SV2 were  
  
slowly learning the truth of the warning Asuma always gave new members.  
  
Daily life was, indeed, a struggle for survival -- and so perhaps the  
  
mechanics obsession with fishing and the peculiarities of some members  
  
of division 2, such as Hiromi's tomato gardens and chicken farms,  
  
weren't quite the eccentricities most outside observers believed them to  
  
be.  
  
Regardless, that left Asuma with the problem of securing food in a  
  
food-scarce environment. To the best of Asuma's knowledge, however, the  
  
only place he could possibly find food outside of the kitchen (which  
  
further investigation showed was bare save for the standard rice  
  
dispensers... and even they were starting to run low) was the officers  
  
lounge. A place only Gotoh, Shinobu, Gomioka, and Chief Fukushima were  
  
technically allowed to enter.  
  
'Well,' he thought casually. 'Doesn't seem as if I've got much choice,  
  
now, does it? I'll need a lookout, though....'  
  
"Asuma!" Noa's rather loud whisper exclaimed. He spun around, smiling  
  
to see her there holding a couple of bags.  
  
"Noa! How'd you get back here so quickly?"  
  
She shook her head. "Haven't left yet. Your car won't start!"  
  
Asuma nodded once in thought. Something had been acting funny in his  
  
car ever since he'd come back from his birthday 'celebration,' so this  
  
hadn't come as any great shock. Still, it was a problem. "Can you fix  
  
it?"  
  
She shook her head. "Not until we get a replacement part. The  
  
serpentine belt broke. It's in too bad a shape to even make temporary  
  
repairs, I'm afraid. I doubt even Shige or Sakaki could do anything for  
  
it."  
  
Asuma sighed. "Well, we'll worry about that later. The kitchen's got  
  
nothing in it -- we're going to have to raid the officer's lounge."  
  
Noa gaped. "Asuma, you know that's just about the only thing you can do  
  
to get Gotoh mad at us for throwing this little sleepover, right?"  
  
"I know," Asuma sighed. "But it's that or we deal with just plain  
  
boiled rice. We couldn't even season the rice, either -- we're out of  
  
salt, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, and all of our usual spices."  
  
Noa pouted in thought. "Actually, I think I know where there's another  
  
stash of food. The engineers won't take too kindly if they find out  
  
we've taken it, though...."  
  
"Where?" Asuma asked.  
  
"Records room. It's actually one of their porno stashes -- a bunch of  
  
porn tapes, popcorn, and beer. It's not much, but then again we don't  
  
really need much, do we?" Noa asked.  
  
Asuma had wanted a little more than that, but he was somewhat desperate.  
  
"Well, beggars can't be choosers. It might solve both our problems --  
  
we can take the beer while we're at it. I'll leave a note promising to  
  
buy new stuff for them when we can -- hopefully, they'll understand.  
  
Now, lead the way."  
  
Noa sighed and started leading him to the engineers' stash of food.  
  
This was bound to get the in trouble with them again, and maybe spark  
  
another spate of sabatoge towards Asuma... and she'd likely get caught  
  
in the crossfire this time. Why did she always listen to Asuma, anyway?  
  
Oh, right -- she loved him. Well, maybe she was a bit on the submissive  
  
side, too. She'd have to think about that later.  
  
Just as they got to the door, a soft crash resonated from inside the  
  
room.  
  
Noa paled. "Somebody's in there," she whispered. "We'll have to come  
  
back later!"  
  
Asuma frowned. "That's odd. It's after curfew -- the mechanics should  
  
all be in bed by now. I know that Shige's more relaxed than Chief  
  
Sakaki used to be, but I thought curfew was the one thing he was pretty  
  
strict about. Something he said about not wanting people to be asleep  
  
on the job...."  
  
Noa nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I remember that. But someone's obviously  
  
in there, so we have to leave and come up with some other way to get the  
  
snacks."  
  
"But who is it who's in there? I mean, even if they did decide to break  
  
curfew, I can't imagine one of the mechanics staying up just to take  
  
care of some paperwork...."  
  
"They could be after the same stuff we are," Noa suggested. "Or it  
  
might not even be a mechanic. Captain Gomioka could be filing some  
  
papers or something."  
  
"True," Asuma admitted. "But I find it highly unlikely. With the  
  
increasing rise in labor crimes these past few weeks, even Captain Gotoh  
  
is refusing to leave his desk for fear of a call coming in, so all three  
  
of them are avoiding their paperwork." He paused. "I wonder if  
  
headquarters is going to look at all of this and consider adding that  
  
fourth unit they were talking about a while back. Labor crime is rising  
  
faster than we can deal with it, it seems."  
  
"But it still could be a mechanic getting at the stash before us," Noa  
  
reminded him.  
  
"Maybe. But I have a funny feeling about this. Come on, let's  
  
investigate and see who it is!" Asuma suggested.  
  
"But... oh, never mind. You'll convince me to look no matter what I  
  
say, just like you always do, won't you?" Noa sighed, exasperated.  
  
Asuma smirked at her. "Of course. When was the last time I steered us  
  
wrong, anyway?"  
  
"Well, there was the time you said-"  
  
"Shut up and help me look into this," Asuma growled, obviously  
  
pretending to be annoyed. Noa smirked -- she loved it those few times  
  
he let her 'win' a teasing session like this.  
  
"Yes, dear," she said, kissing him on the cheek before getting serious,  
  
and quietly getting into position at the records room doorway. After  
  
all this time with him, a lot of it sneaking around, she knew just what  
  
he wanted her to do to 'investigate' whoever this supposed intruder was.  
  
She watched as Asuma carefully slid the door open, trying to keep it as  
  
quiet as possible so as to not disturb whoever was behind it. When the  
  
opening was wide enough, Noa slipped in. Asuma tagged along a few  
  
seconds later.  
  
They didn't immediately find anyone. At first, they wondered if maybe  
  
they'd been mistaken -- it certainly didn't appear as if anyone was  
  
here. Then, they heard the noise again -- papers rustling somewhere in  
  
the vicinity of the personnel files....  
  
Using hand signals, Asuma directed Noa to mirror him as they flanked the  
  
desks, and raised his hand. Counting down on his fingers from three...  
  
to two... to one....  
  
They leaped. Noa got their first, tackling the intruder -- who, from  
  
their clothes, was obviously not a police employee -- and grabbing her  
  
in a wristlock. 'Hmm... those hand-to-hand spars Ohta helped me with  
  
when Asuma was hurt last year have really helped,' she thought.  
  
"All right, there!" Asuma snapped authoritatively. It was his best  
  
'cop' voice, and Noa recognized it as the one he used to give orders  
  
which were to be obeyed without question. "Tell us who you are and why  
  
you're here!"  
  
The person slowly raised their head. "Eh, heh. Hello," they said,  
  
wincing slightly.  
  
"Momoko!?" Noa and Asuma chorused.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Sitting around the foot of Alphonse, sipping from a distastefully warm  
  
beer and munching on stale potato chips, Noa, Asuma, Natsumi, Shige,  
  
Hiromi, and Joudo surrounded Momoko Sakurayama, the star reporter on a  
  
variety of news programs who's fate had entertwined with the SV2 on  
  
occasion. The would-be romantic rendezvous-turned party had instead  
  
become an impromptu interrigation. At that point, the Unit 2 officers  
  
were trying to determine whether or not Momoko deserved to be turned in  
  
or not.  
  
"Well, your head office wouldn't even give me a press packet on the new  
  
team members!" Momoko was explaining. "I've been trying for months to  
  
gather information about the new unit, but I haven't been able to get  
  
anything on the new people. I was getting desperate!"  
  
Joudo blinked. "We aren't really THAT interesting, are we? I mean,  
  
we're just police officers. What's so special about that?"  
  
"But you're in SV2!" Momoko exclaimed. "SV2! That alone is newsworthy.  
  
And ever since the new additions, SV2 has appeared to smooth out most of  
  
the rough edges which gave it such a bad reputation. You're still the  
  
police unit with the most collatoral damage in the world, but at least  
  
it's down to a reasonable level, now. We in the press want to know  
  
why!"  
  
"Well, part of it is that we get enough sleep, now," Asuma muttered out  
  
of the side of his mouth.  
  
Momoko caught it, however, and immediately whipped out a notepad and  
  
scribbled it down. "Get... enough... sle- hey!"  
  
"I don't think Asuma would appreciate being assessed that quote," Joudo  
  
said, holding the paper he'd just snatched away from her.  
  
"Oh, let her have it," Asuma sighed, waving his hand dismissively.  
  
"Momoko's one of the few reporters who actually treats us halfway  
  
decently, and she's actually helped us out once or twice. She won't use  
  
my name, if I'm not mistaken, and maybe it'll help the boys at HQ  
  
realize that they need to give us more vacation time."  
  
Uncertainly, Joudo handed the pad of paper back to the reporter, who  
  
grasped it like a golden treasure and glared at the offending policeman.  
  
Quickly finishing her note, she turned back to Asuma.  
  
"Thank you," she said, smiling winningly. "Is there anything else you  
  
can think of for your improved performance?"  
  
"Well, we've always done the job well," Asuma noted. "The collatoral  
  
damage was mostly inevitable, when you consider the kinds of assignments  
  
we've been given. And civilian casualties, as you know, are almost  
  
always negligible."  
  
Momoko frowned. "That's not what the stats say. New York, Osaka,  
  
Kanazawa, Washington D.C., San Francisco, London, Moscow, and Berlin  
  
have all had active patlabor forces for more than two years, and dozens  
  
more cities have built up some as well. Yet this particular section of  
  
Patlabors has always had the most collatoral damage. Are you saying  
  
those others haven't had the same problems you have?"  
  
"Well, there was the Phantom, and the Griffin, and the war that Kai  
  
started, and the whole HOS scare with the Ark, and probably a few other  
  
things which seem to have happened uniquely to us. And the patlabor  
  
forces in Berlin, New York, and Moscow are all much larger than ours is  
  
and so they have an easier time answering calls."  
  
"Still," Momoko argued, "That damage isn't what most of the complaints  
  
are about. Usually, the complaints were about something more mundane --  
  
like breaking up a fight between a couple of drunk labor operators or  
  
the like. Every other city with patlabors has the same problems, but  
  
rarely is as much damage dealt as it is when your unit in particular is  
  
involved. Or at least, that was the case before the new unit was  
  
added."  
  
"Still, the third unit is old news," Asuma noted. "Just how long have  
  
you been trying to get info on them?"  
  
Momoko blushed. "Er, well...."  
  
Noa got a little worried. Had this reporter discovered her and Asuma?  
  
They'd assumed they were safe, since most of the people in SV2 had no  
  
interest in ruining their careers by blabbing out about their  
  
relationship, but a reporter might find it quite interesting. Not  
  
giving her a chance to answer Asuma's question, she added one of her  
  
own. "Um, just how much have you seen, anyway?"  
  
"Well, a few juicy bits," Momoko admitted reluctantly. "A few people  
  
I've identified have some rather interesting backgrounds. Like, say,  
  
that Yamane Seiroku kid? Well, that's not his real name -- or, well, it  
  
is, but it didn't used to be. He was born Yamane Gohojo -- the brother  
  
of Seiji Gohojo. Who, as you may or may not know, was the Beach House  
  
terrorist who murdered Captain Gotoh's wife."  
  
Asuma and Noa simultaneously spit out their beer, covering Momoko,  
  
Hiromi, Shige, and Joudo. Natsume was covered from the spew by the  
  
bodies of Shige and Joudo, who seemed to be especially soaked in it.  
  
Everyone turned to glare at the couple, but their dumbfounded expression  
  
seemed to be all that was needed to show it was unintentional.  
  
Once his mouth started working again, Asuma exclaimed, "He was  
  
MARRIED?!"  
  
Momoko blinked. "Um, yes, didn't you know? It was his investigation of  
  
his wife's death that lead to the police purchasing the first patlabors.  
  
I would've thought you knew that."  
  
Asuma shook his head. "No. Not a clue."  
  
"I knew that it was Captain Gotoh who first lobbied for the creation of  
  
a special patlabor division," Noa added, "But I didn't know about him  
  
ever being married. He... doesn't seem the type."  
  
"And why not?" Gotoh asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere to  
  
intervene in the group. "There's a certain woman I know, now, who I'd  
  
marry in a heartbeat if she'd have me." There was no need to explain,  
  
as everyone, even Momoko, knew who he was talking about. "So, do we  
  
routinely have parties and invite member's of the press along?"  
  
"We caught her snooping around the records room," Asuma explained, using  
  
his formal voice. "And we've been questioning her since."  
  
"I see," Gotoh's voice rumbled. "And just how long has she been  
  
snooping, anyway?"  
  
"Er... off and on since Unit 3 was formed?" Momoko admitted hesitantly.  
  
Gotoh grinned. "Oh! So then it was you who's been going through all my  
  
papers for the past several months. I knew we had a spy -- I'm just  
  
glad to know it wasn't anyone with malicious intent. Well, no more  
  
malicious intent than anyone in the press has towards the SV2."  
  
"Hey! I treat you guys fairly!" Momoko protested. "I tell people of  
  
your successes just as much as I tell them of your faults! Well...  
  
okay, there's that Ohta guy who I occassionally give bad press. But  
  
only after he attacked me when I was trying to cover that first major  
  
battle with the Griffin!"  
  
Noa shuddered at the reminder of perhaps the worst period of her life.  
  
She'd almost lost everything to the Griffin -- Asuma, Alphonse, and  
  
possibly even her own health. It took months for her to mentally  
  
recover from it, and really it took her final defeat of the thing months  
  
later for her to get over it. "Trust me," she said. "It was for the  
  
best that he escorted you out of there. It wasn't a very pleasant place  
  
to be. That thing nearly made me lose everything I value in life, and I  
  
wouldn't be surprised if it would have done the same to you if you'd  
  
stayed there."  
  
Momoko looked at Noa blankly. "Huh? What would it have done to me?  
  
After all, who attacks the press?"  
  
Asuma cleared his throat. "Do I have to remind you of the time Noa had  
  
to rescue you from --"  
  
"Yes, yes, but that was a special case," Momoko sighed, waving her hands  
  
dismissively. "Most of the time, no-one attacks the press."  
  
"So," Joudo said, not following much of the conversation and trying to  
  
get it onto something he could join in on. "What are we going to do  
  
with her, anyway? I mean, what she's been doing is a bit illegal, you  
  
know...."  
  
Momoko blinked. "Hey, I'm the press! I have the right to be here!"  
  
"Er, no you don't," Asuma noted. "This is government property, after  
  
all, and there are classified documents here. Restricted access areas  
  
and all that, so you're only allowed here if invited."  
  
"But... I'm the press!"  
  
"Forget it," Gotoh sighed. "Don't worry about it. Ms. Sakurayuama, I  
  
think it would be best if you left. I'm not going to bother asking you  
  
not to report anything you've already found out, but if we catch you  
  
again I think we'll have no choice but to arrest you."  
  
Everyone was a little startled by Gotoh's pronouncement -- Joudo because  
  
he hadn't expected Gotoh to take it so easy on the reporter, Hiromi,  
  
Noa, and Asuma because he was speaking so harshly to her, Natsume  
  
because she hadn't expected anything to happen at all, and Momoko  
  
because she hadn't even considered the chance that she could be  
  
arrested.  
  
"Uh, okay," Momoko meekly agreed. "I guess I'll leave now."  
  
Gotoh nodded. "I'll escort you out," he said, grabbing her arm as they  
  
moved away.  
  
Noa frowned, leaning into Asuma. "You think there's something wrong  
  
with the captain? He's not acting like he does normally."  
  
Asuma pursed his lips in thought. "I dunno," he whispered back. "Maybe  
  
the fact that his late wife was mentioned has something to do with it.  
  
I know I get that way, sometimes, when someone mentions my brother...."  
  
"Still, he didn't seem upset by that. At least, not at first," Noa  
  
noted.  
  
"True," Asuma agreed. "I have a sneaking suspicion...."  
  
"So, what are you two whispering about?" Natsume cut in, giggling  
  
loudly. "Anything fun?"  
  
"Er, no," Asuma said. "Just... stuff. So, who's up for another beer?"  
  
With that, the party atmosphere returned, and they all spent the night  
  
talking about silly things. Asuma was glad when Hiromi finally became  
  
the last one other than himself to nod off at around 4 in the morning.  
  
While it might not be safe for much with everyone else asleep, he was  
  
able to give Noa the customary good-night kiss they'd been giving each  
  
other since coming back from the engineers convention all the way back  
  
in January. Admittedly, like tonight, he hadn't always been able to  
  
give it to her when she was awake to enjoy it, but he nevertheless had  
  
to do it for his own peace of mind.  
  
Knowing he was going soft towards the girl he loved, and not caring, he  
  
gave her that kiss before heading off to sleep -- able to wrap her in  
  
his arms as they slept, since everyone was more or less wrapped together  
  
in the confined space they chose to have their party. After all,  
  
Natsume, Joudo, Shige, and Hiromi were all tangled together, too, and  
  
surely no-one would suggest anything about the three of them!  
  
It was the best nights sleep both he and Noa had ever had. Even if it  
  
didn't last nearly long enough.  
  
* * * * *  
  
April 14  
  
Takeo stepped off of the bus, and started heading towards the central  
  
headquarters building for the police department in Tokyo. To her, it  
  
had been a relatively uneventful commute, starting with a dull ride to  
  
the nearest bus station via taxi. For some reason, she seemed to be the  
  
only person in all of Tokyo who could get a taxi to show up at the  
  
Patlabor facility on the reclaimed lands, but she never realized quite  
  
how unusual it was until she saw Momoko standing on the street corner at  
  
the exit, complaining that she'd been waiting for her own ride for over  
  
nine hours. Apparently, she'd called every taxi company in the phone  
  
book, but not one of them would come down to the SV2 headquarters  
  
regardless of how much money she'd offered them. She'd called one of  
  
her co-workers to pick her up, but upon seeing Takeo pick up a taxi of  
  
her own so easily the reporter complained loudly about an expose she'd  
  
be doing on the lousy service of the taxi cab companies as soon as she  
  
got back to her office.  
  
Takeo had not been surprised to see Momoko, considering she'd heard all  
  
about her capture in the records room during breakfast, but was  
  
surprised when she'd offered to share her taxi at least as far as the  
  
nearest bus station. However, it appeared the reporter didn't want to  
  
'stand up' the man who'd already been dispatched to pick her up, and  
  
Takeo could understand that.  
  
Takeo mused on the situation back at SV2. Apparently, things had gotten  
  
out-of-hand in the past few weeks. Gomioka was going crazy and taking  
  
everyone he could with him, the mechanics were worked nearly to death  
  
trying to deal with tiny bits and pieces of sabatoge, and labor crime  
  
had increased almost a hundredfold in the past three weeks -- what  
  
normally was just one crime every week or so had turned into multiple  
  
major incidents on a daily basis.  
  
And her unit was nowhere to be found in that period. Or, more  
  
precisely, her unit was in Fuji working with the Academy and unavailable  
  
to help. That said, interesting developments were happening there as  
  
well. She'd let herself be goaded by the American woman again, dammit,  
  
and it lead to her starting to develop an affinity for teaching. Maybe  
  
she'd apply for the Academy... sometime after the next academic year,  
  
however. Maybe she'd try and aim to succeed Kanuka, assuming there was  
  
an adequate replacement for herself in the upcoming students. It would  
  
give her a chance to work one-on-one with Captain Gotoh's niece, who  
  
she'd found to be a rather brilliant young woman. By the time she  
  
finished her training in three years, she'd probably be the most  
  
heavily-sought after rookie patlabor officer in Japan... and she had a  
  
funny feeling she knew who would get her.  
  
Furthermore, Unit 2 was also disrupted by what seemed to be a growing  
  
tension between it's two brightest stars -- Asuma and Noa. It wasn't  
  
that they were growing apart, or showing visible signs of having had any  
  
recent fights or anything. Rather, it appeared as though they were  
  
having a rather difficult time maintaining the cover which gave their  
  
relationship plausible deniability. Takeo was slightly worried for  
  
them -- she'd done a personnel records update, recently, and had found  
  
in her background investigation something which could be awfully  
  
damaging if it were known to the public. Apparently, a dowry had been  
  
arranged between the Izumi's and the Shinohara's. Takeo hadn't been  
  
aware the relationship had reached that point, but she wondered with  
  
this new piece of information just how long the couple were planning to  
  
stay in the force. Her guess was, within a couple of years or so --  
  
likely whenever it was Alphonse was finally declared obsolete by the  
  
police hierarchy and retired from active duty -- they would both resign,  
  
get married, and take over the reins in Shinohara Heavy Industries...  
  
given that they'd own it when they got married. Takeo hadn't wanted to  
  
hasten that departure, however, and so quickly did what she could to  
  
cover their tracks. If someone knew to look for it, they'd probably  
  
still find the same evidence she'd found, but it was unlikely someone  
  
would be able to see the same documents she had anymore unless they were  
  
specifically looking to see what communications were being made between  
  
their parents -- which would not be something a routine background check  
  
would likely do.  
  
However, there was even yet another bit of drama slowly developing in  
  
her unit, and Takeo wasn't sure what to make of it. Asuma and Noa were  
  
practically joined at the hip, Hiromi always seemed to her to be either  
  
attached or interested in someone -- who, she hadn't discovered, yet --  
  
and Gotoh had that blatantly obvious not-quite-one-sided thing for  
  
Shinobu, but the members of her own team were safely unattached. For  
  
the moment. However, it looked like something interesting was starting  
  
to develop between Natsume Kawai and Joudo Ishikawai... and the new head  
  
of the mechanics unit, Shige. At any rate, the romantic triangle --  
  
which Takeo had thought she'd seen evidence of earlier but couldn't be  
  
certain -- appeared to be taking on a new twist. Recently, instead of  
  
being completely oblivious to everyones attention like she had been  
  
since joining their unit, Natsume seemed to be taking a notice in her  
  
two suitors as well. No-one could possibly know but Natsume, herself,  
  
but her actions seemed to indicate that she was gradually becoming aware  
  
of things. For example, when she'd demanded that both Shige and Joudo  
  
dance with her at Chief Sakaki's retirement 'party,' she had rejected  
  
all the other potential dance partners.  
  
Much more blatant, however, was she scene she witnessed when she came  
  
down the steps that morning to see the sight of several sleeping  
  
officers at the foot of Alphonse. Noa and Asuma were cuddled up in such  
  
a cute way it was almost sickening, but nevertheless they could still  
  
maintain their 'plausible deniability' thanks to the other members of  
  
the party.  
  
From the wrinkles in the sheets, Takeo could tell that Hiromi, Shige,  
  
Joudo, and Natsume had all been bundling up together when they went to  
  
sleep that night. Somehow, Hiromi had detached himself from the bunch,  
  
and maneuvered his way into a little ball on his own. Natsume, however,  
  
had somehow managed to grab each of her two suitors and maneuver them so  
  
that each was resting their head on her chest. It was a rather  
  
compromising position -- or would have been, had it not been so obvious  
  
that none of them had started out sleeping that way.  
  
Regardless, it appeared obvious now that everyone in Special Vehicles,  
  
Section two, unit two, had a romance going on. Everyone except for  
  
Takeo, that was. She seemed to be the lone fish out, free from any  
  
romantic entanglements at all. What a bitter pill to swallow that was.  
  
She hadn't made a serious consideration towards a romantic partner since  
  
Hong Kong and...  
  
Takeo was startled out of her thoughts, however, by a high-speed  
  
collision with another pedestrian. She stumbled back, reassembled her  
  
thoughts, and looked up to apologize.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I- YOU!" She exclaimed.  
  
Looking stunned himself, Richard Wong, Takeo's one-time lover and the  
  
mastermind behind several major labor crimes over the years, could  
  
barely articulate anything, either.  
  
"YOU!" Wong echoed himself, unable to believe his eyes either.  
  
It was a standoff for a few seconds as both couldn't help but stare at  
  
each other in disbelief. Who would have guessed that they would run  
  
into each other on the streets of Tokyo like this? Neither was quite  
  
sure what to do.  
  
Richard finally relaxed somewhat, and smiled at her. "Well, this is a  
  
pleasure, I must say. What are you doing here in town, anyway?"  
  
That broke Takeo from her trance, as well. Reaching into the rear  
  
pocket of her uniform, she pronounced, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to  
  
place you under arrest immediately, Richard. I can't afford to slip up  
  
this time, so we can't talk."  
  
Wong's smile remained on his face, however. "Come on, now -- we both  
  
know that I'll escape if you try. I don't have anything to do today  
  
which cannot be postponed -- surely you have a moment as well. What do  
  
you say we go have a brunch or something at a local cafe? I haven't  
  
eaten, yet, today, and I'm starving."  
  
Takeo's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to pull, here? I'm trying  
  
to arrest you, dammit!"  
  
He sighed. "Do you want me to explain exactly how I can escape you, no  
  
matter what you try, or will you just agree to sit down and talk. It's  
  
been ages, and the last time we met was a rather... distracting time.  
  
I'd love a chance to try and catch up -- I mean, I bet you don't even  
  
know that I'm not working for Shaft any more!"  
  
That brought Takeo up short. Thinking about it, she realized that he  
  
was right -- there probably wasn't a reasonable way to arrest him  
  
unsupported and on her own like this. He was a master of disguise, a  
  
much more athletic man then his appearance implied, and a brilliant  
  
escape artist. She was athletic and fairly skilled in a number of  
  
areas, as well, but in a public place like a crowded sidewalk, it was  
  
unlikely those skills would help her to capture him on her own.  
  
Besides, she still loved him, despite knowing what he had done. And she  
  
was legitimately interested in what he had to say. Her paperwork could  
  
wait. She just wanted to renew a license, and she had more than a month  
  
to do it in, anyway. She might even manage to deal with it after their  
  
talk.  
  
"Okay," Takeo finally said.  
  
"Okay?" Wong replied, clearly not expecting that answer. "You mean, you  
  
will?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes. I'd love to hear all about what happened between you  
  
and Shaft. I knew you weren't exactly in favor with the management, but  
  
I always heard that you were too valuable for them to fire. And I know  
  
you couldn't just leave them... or if you could, then you abandoned me  
  
in Hong Kong for no reason."  
  
"No, it was kind of a... mutual agreement that we go our seperate ways,"  
  
Wong explained, taking her arm and guiding her down the road. "I hated  
  
them and wanted to leave. They hated me and wanted to live. When I  
  
managed to threaten them with their deaths if they refused to let me go,  
  
I got my release."  
  
Takeo sighed. Why wasn't she surprised? "I see. Shame you couldn't  
  
manage that a few years ago, when it might have mattered to me."  
  
Wong nodded. "I agree. That was perhaps my biggest regret out of all  
  
the things I've done for Shaft." He paused. "I doubt I'll ever be able  
  
to clear my name enough so that I can risk trying to make it up to you.  
  
You'd pretty much have to arrest me before we could reconcile, right?"  
  
"Well, if you did something to get yourself a full pardon, I might  
  
consider trying things again." Takeo paused, smiling bitterly. "I've  
  
been so lonely without you. But I don't think I can deal with you, now.  
  
It's too painful... even this conversation we're having now is  
  
bittersweet."  
  
They entered a small coffee shop and took their seats. Richard placed  
  
an order for both of them, remembering Takeo's preferences much to her  
  
surprise, before he responded.  
  
"Well, my new employer is trying to see if he can do something to clear  
  
my record," Richard noted abruptly. "He's a good man. I believe your  
  
Captain Gotoh knows him -- in fact, I think he is, or at least was, on  
  
my boss's payroll."  
  
"Oh, really? Who is he -- I might know him," Takeo said, surprised.  
  
People powerful enough to pardon the man behind the Griffin and who knew  
  
Captain Gotoh didn't number all that many, as far as she knew.  
  
"His name wouldn't mean anything to you," Richard said, waving her  
  
question off. "Suffice it to say, he was someone who needed a security  
  
officer who understood labors and labor development as well, and I was  
  
perfect for the job. He's working on a plan which should wipe out my  
  
criminal record, too, so I'm extremely grateful to him."  
  
Takeo half-smiled. "I've seen your record -- he'd pretty much have to  
  
be the prime minister to do that. Then again, even he might have  
  
trouble -- if we were in the days of the Shoguns, then maybe one of them  
  
might have enough power, but...."  
  
"Well, he seems to think he can do it," Wong said.  
  
"If he does," Takeo said slowly, "And if you're sincere about staying  
  
within the law, call me. I... I loved you, you know. I might be able  
  
to again, some day."  
  
Richard froze, then nodded slowly. "I will. You know, I lo-"  
  
Takeo immediately stood up, not allowing him the time to finish his  
  
sentence, and checked her watch hand -- cursing herself for not  
  
remembering her watch today. "Oh, my -- I'm going to be late. I've got  
  
to go, bye!" Without even glancing at him, she retreated... before he  
  
said something that would really hurt.  
  
Wong watched her go with a sigh. "Well," he muttered to himself. "That  
  
was interesting. But I've got a job to do."  
  
He started to get up when his cell phone rang. Smiling in surprise, he  
  
pulled it out. "Utsumi," he answered it.  
  
The other end of the phone said something which made him smile. "Ah,  
  
good, so our young friend is here. Well, tell Bud that level four is  
  
coming soon. Now, don't call me again -- I've got a meeting with our  
  
little spy, and I'm already late."  
  
He stepped off into the bathroom of the little cafe. He reached the  
  
third stall door and knocked on it in a particular sequence.  
  
"Good," a muffled voice, disguising its owner, said from the other side.  
  
"You're finally here. I was about to leave."  
  
"It wouldn't have been a good idea," Wong noted. "Takeo Kumagami was  
  
out in the cafe, eating breakfast. You would have been seen."  
  
"Doesn't matter at this point," the voice on the other side said. "I'm  
  
pretty sure this'll be my last report -- I doubt I'll be able to get  
  
into the records again before the game starts."  
  
"Well, let me have it," Wong said impatiently. "I haven't got all day,  
  
and the bathroom is not my favorite place to loiter."  
  
"Here," the voice said as a small packet slid under the stall.  
  
"There're some records, a copy of the personal journal of Captain Gotoh,  
  
and a copy of an Ingram movement disk. Not Ms. Izumi's,  
  
unfortunately -- she's guarding her labor too heavily."  
  
Wong grinned. "Thank you. That'll just have to do. Phase one begins  
  
on May Day. You should hold off on your part of this until the third,  
  
however. Good luck, and when we see each other again... well, let's  
  
just say we'll be well on our way to having control of our own destiny.  
  
I'll make sure the boss gets these, you just get into position. We  
  
don't have long now."  
  
-------------------------  
  
Next Episode: Things start really heating up as we lead into the season  
  
finale of Patlabor: Personal Files! The animosity between Gomioka and  
  
Ohta takes a new turn, while the Griffin makes a new first strike. (And  
  
I may get around to doing one of the OAVs -- Gotoh's OAV -- since all  
  
that I needed to reveal before writing that one has now been revealed)  
  
-------------------------  
  
David A. Tatum  
  
http://davecon.anifics.com  
  
desaix@anifics.com  
  
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	22. Episode 22: Prelude to War

Patlabor: Personal Files

An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum

Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...

Episode 22: Prelude to War

April 30, 2000

"Gotoh! Call for you!" was an announcement often heard in the Academy halls in the most recent session. Mahoko Gotoh was often seen with a brilliant smile on her face for hours after such an announcement was made, and that smile proved to be quite contagious. So, when the usual shout went up that her uncle in the SV2 was calling for her, most passerbys couldn't help but grin at the frantically sprinting girl darting over to the phones.

"Uncle Gotoh! Hi!" she cried into the reciever breathlessly. "I was wondering if you'd manage to call today. How are things?"

"I always find time to check up on my favorite niece," came the reply. "We've been rather busy these past few weeks, however."

"I think you've only mentioned it every day since you left," Mahoko deadpanned. "So I don't know why that doesn't surprise me."

"How is Kanuka doing, by the way?" he replied, changing the subject.

"Professor Clancy? Well, she's toned down a bit since Lt. Kumagami left... and trust me, it's helped a lot. She's still as tough as nails and she still knows her stuff, but she's no longer quite so... outrageous... in her lectures." Mahoko grinned, glancing around to make sure said professor wasn't around. "Kumagami must have provoked her or something."

"It's a friendly rivalry," Gotoh noted. "That occasionally sparks less then friendly behavior. I've told you about the unit vacation, right?"

"Yes!" Mahoko laughed. "Poor Officer Ohta! I can't believe they did that to him."

"Have you been following the news, lately?" Gotoh asked when she finished laughing.

An outside observer would have had a hard time noticing it on her face, but Mahoko's smile froze the moment she heard that phrase.

"No, I'm afraid not," she replied, revealing nothing.

"Ah. Well, I suggest you talk to Kanuka about it - there's something she'll be interested in. Gomioka has been angling for a while to replace Ohta with Seiroku. Well, he finally managed it this time - Ohta screwed up big time."

"When?" Mahoko asked again, visible strain in her voice.

"I suggest you talk to her today or tomorrow," Gotoh answered. "I doubt it'll be news any more if you wait much longer than that. Ohta is upset, but I expect we'll see what Mr. Seiroku is capable of very soon. I will note that the rather busy period of activity we've had, recently, has been absent these past twenty-four hours."

Mahoko swallowed nervously. "I'll talk to her right away."

"Good," Gotoh said. "I suppose I should let you go, now, huh?"

"Yeah," Mahoko said. "I... have things I need to do."

That day, Mahoko Gotoh's smiles didn't light up the hallways of the academy as usual. Instead, a very troubled look filled her face, and a sense of uneasiness went up among the cadets.

"Uncle Sake!" came the call from the foyer. Sakaki, fiddling with a hydrolic line in one of the Type 96 labors parked in his house's courtyard, sighed. He really wished that girl would drop that embarrassing nickname.

"What?" he called back gruffly.

"Someone here to see you from Special Vehicles."

"Is it Shige? Send him on back here..."

"It's not Shige," a different voice answered him. Sakaki, his face partially hidden behind his mirror shades, raised an eyebrow. Managing a stopping point on his work, he turned around.

"Officer Ohta?" he asked, letting his surprise just barely carry through in his voice.

"Not 'officer' any more," Ohta sighed. "Gomioka has me on suspension, with pay, 'pending an investigation' into my performance as a labor pilot. That investigation has yet to be scheduled, so Gotoh didn't feel too bad about asking me to deliver a package for him."

"Indeed," Sakaki mused, taking the package Ohta was carrying. There was a letter strapped to the top, which he immediately started opening. "Did he have any other messages?"

"Just that I was supposed to wait until you were ready to reply," Ohta said.

Sakaki scanned the letter and tensed. "Did he, now? Well, I don't think I'll have a reply for him for a few days, but it looks as if he was anticipating that. I think we'll have to find a room for you, here, for a few days."

Shinobu shook her head as she spied the labor bay, seeing the same sight once again. Entering the offices, she walked over to her fellow Captain Gotoh.

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to know why your entire unit is camped out, asleep, under the feet of Alphonse again?" she asked. "They've been doing that for the past two weeks, you know."

"They didn't consult me about it," Gotoh noted. "They seem to be having fun, though."

"They didn't 'consult' you? Well, do you have any guesses?"

Gotoh shrugged, looking around. Gomioka was absent, but that was usually the case. He'd grown increasingly anti-social, and his latest statement benching Ohta and suspending him from the force was done without explanation. Niether Shinobu nor Gotoh had been able to get the story out of him, but from what Ohta and the other officers in Unit 3 were saying it appeared as if there was once more a conflict between the two regarding his taking the command car. Shinobu had been feeling more and more embarrassed for having recommended him to be made captain, but it was too late for her to do anything about it. Gomioka had gone over her head, straight to Fukushima, and hadn't been showing his face around the office much at all.

"I have a few, but I don't know if I should mention them or not."

Shinobu raised an eyebrow, believing him to be talking about Noa and Asuma's not-quite-as-secret-as-they'd-wish relationship, but she couldn't see how the nightly parties could be involved in that.

"I know we officially avoid noticing certain things about the dynamics of Unit 2 on purpose," Shinobu began, "But surely you could mention something, unofficially, if you suspected it."

Gotoh blinked at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I assumed... ah, perhaps not. I'd like to know what it is you think shouldn't be mentioned, in this case. I promise I won't discuss it with anyone else, if you don't want me to."

The other captain sighed. "Well, I suppose I should let you in on it. I've had some suspicions about certain things for a while." He unlocked a cabinet in his desk and pulled out a file. Staring at it for a moment, he sighed. "Here, take a look. I think you'll find it... enlightening."

Shinobu glanced through it. Mostly, it was the summaries of various crime reports over the past several months. Most notable on it were her own action against the theft of a large number of military labors and the robbery of the Quartermaster's Corps. which Gomioka's unit had intervened in. Attached to the later was a document she had yet to see - the summary, provided by Shinohara Heavy Industries, of the stolen property from their government liason offices in that incident, as provided by Asuma.

Then there were some unofficial reports, as well - Takeo Kumagami had given him an off-the-record statement of her meeting with Richard Wong, which Shinobu had only been mildly aware of. Highlighted on the document was a claim by Mr. Wong that a former boss of Gotoh's was working on securing him a pardon... something which struck a cord in her, as well.

Finally, there was a series of messages from Momoko Sakurayama, the reporter. A possible exchange of sources, perhaps, as most of the messages meant nothing to Shinobu but seemed to deal with an investigation Gotoh was working on. However, one entry was highlighted. An entry which caused Shinobu to gasp aloud.

"Why haven't I heard about this, before?" she asked. "This is big news, especially for us, and it hasn't appeared at all in the press. If a reporter had it, then-"

"There's been a gag order on certain pieces of news, recently. No explanation. That's only one piece of information - another is that Bud Reynard has been, ah, removed from his school."

Shinobu's eyes narrowed. "So... what does all of this mean?"

"I'm afraid we're in for a bit of a situation... and soon. I sent Ohta off-site, and Kanuka is in position with a working labor three from my unit. I had plans to take care of Alphonse, but Noa and Asuma - whether they found out on their own, like I suspect, and took the initiative on their own or whether there's some other reason they're camping out there - are dealing with it themselves."

"You've done nothing for MY unit," Shinobu noted wryly.

"I've made some arrangements, but there's nothing I can do for your people specifically," Gotoh sighed. "I don't know them well enough. None of my people went into your unit - you're the only person who I could do anything with, and I couldn't talk with you about it until today."

"Why not until today?" Shinobu asked.

Gotoh grimmaced. "Because today, the crime spree has stopped. Which means things are going to start happening, and soon..."

There was a knock on the door, and Kanuka looked up. "Come in."

Mahoko Gotoh paused at the entrance before slowly walking into the office. "Professor Clancy," she acknowledged, nodding her head respectfully as her hands were full. "I... I've got something for you."

"Surely you haven't finished that research paper already? You simply must stop finishing assignments so quickly - you're making the rest of the cadets look bad!" Kanuka teased.

Mahoko visibly relaxed. "Nothing so mundane, I'm afraid. Uncle - er, Captain Gotoh asked me to deliver something to you the moment he gave me a certain coded message. I got that message today, and so here it is."

Kanuka raised an eyebrow as she accepted the parcel. "CAPTAIN Gotoh sent this, eh? Hmm, I wonder..." With a quick perusal of the documents, her face grew more and more grim. "Are you aware of the contents of this?"

"The gist of it, anyway," Mahoko admitted. "He let me know what it was all about when he gave it to me."

Kanuka nodded. "Okay. Pass the word - all trainees to the training labors. We're going on a survivalist field trip for a few days."

May 1, 2000

"A May Day military labor drill?" complained Sergeant Chuuichi Iguchi of JSDF Labor Team Falcon. Piloting one of the lightwieght Mitsubishi 'Simon' scouting labors, Chuuichi wasn't exactly pleased to be engaged in exercises after dark. Especially not when his labor had to go up against the much heavier grade AV-99 Helldivers (the military varient of the Ingram) of Team Raven.

"We have to keep in practice somehow," Raven team's Captain Fuwa coughed back. She was in overall command of all four teams that day, and took it to heart. "Now, gentlemen, to your labors."

The drill began fairly normally. Team Falcon in the Simons, Team Raven in the Helldivers, Team Seagull in the submersible Amazons produced by Fuji Heavy Industries, and the Kawasaki Bakers (the heavy eight-legged tank-like labors based on the failed X-10 project to compete with the Russian Doshka's) of Team Albatross all had successes in the drills. As usual, Team Raven showed itself to be the best pilots in the best labors during the one-on-one matches, but each team managed at least one victory in the team competitions.

"Time out!" Chuuichi called, two hours into the drills.

All four teams paused in their actions. "Is there a problem, Sergeant?" Fuwa asked.

"Recieving a report from Colonel Atsuo Tobe," Chuuichi explained. "He reports that Team Sparrow, on guard patrol, has lost contact with home base. He sent out Teams Condor and Heron to scout out the area, and lost contact with them as well - no explanation. He now asks that we investigate, but be on our guard."

Captain Fuwa tensed. Three units, completely out of contact without any warning? Just what was going on, anyway?

"Acknowledged. Team Falcon, set a perimeter. Team Albatross, extended diamond formation. All other labors, close formation inside Team Albatross' guard. We'll move in cautiously."

"Yes, ma'am!" came several replies at once.

As the well-trained unit it was, the sixteen JSDF military labors moved as a unit, with efficiency and skill. Or rather, it did as long as Fuwa could follow it - once they entered the patrol area where the other labors had disappeared, all of her sensors suddenly blanked out.

"Shit! I've lost all sensors. I'll have to fall back. Does anyone read me?" She paused. "Oh, hell."

With a flick of a switch, her chair lifted out so that she'd at least have some visibility as she moved. What she saw as she came up nearly made her wish she didn't - from the wreckage of labors, including the obsolescent Type-97 Samsons and at least four other Hellfires, she could see that Teams Sparrow, Heron, and Condor were all in pieces, literally, and it looked as if Sergeant Chuuichi's Simon had been shredded. And doing the demolishing, she could see, were two Doshka's, four Brochen's, and a labor she never expected to see. The telltale black wings proved to belong to the Griffin.

"Oh... hell."

In the bloodshed that followed, all sixteen military labors - including Captain Fuwa's Hellfire - were destroyed. One final act of defiance managed to take down the last of the four Brochen's they faced, but the two Doshka's and the Griffin were the real heavy firepower in the first place.

As Fuwa faded to unconsciousness in the wreckage of her broken labor, her mental math told her that between the destruction of all seven teams of military labors, almost one quarter of the entire JSDF contingent of labors was lost. To only four enemy labors destroyed.

If this really was a war, like she thought, they were in big trouble.

"Boss! We've got a package for you!" the aide-de-campe for Hanafuji Yakuza faction chief Naoya Fujioka cried. "No return address."

Naoya looked up. "Eh? Have the screeners checked it, yet?"

"Yes, we're fairly certain it's not a bomb, whatever it is. Pretty heavy, though."

Naoya sighed. "Well, bring it here. Might as well see what's going on."

The package was about the size of a shoe box, and the postmark seemed to indicate it came from the reclaimed lands which Babylon Project's phase one experiments had made available for development, but other than that there was nothing remarkable about the package. A letter was attached on the outside, which Naoya promptly opened.

"Returning some things you gave me for safekeeping. Don't use them - I'll be by to reclaim them in time."

There was no signature, and the letter itself was typed giving no indication as to who sent it. It was all quite mysterious, but nevertheless Naoya felt like he should know what this package contained without having to open it.

Shrugging, he decided there were better uses of his time then solving riddles when there was a much simpler way of getting his questions answered. With a decisive rip, he tore open the package and lifted the lid of what was, in fact, a shoe box wrapped with paper.

"Labor movement disks?" he muttered aloud, surprised. He pulled them out, and sure enough, every single labor movement disk he had sent to the care of SV2 and Captain Gotoh were in the package.

He had continued collecting labors, and now had about thirty labors, but he always sent the movement disk straight to the police captain. His collection, while constantly kept in working condition, were for show only. He remembered how to drive them - in fact, he secretly kept a single movement disk for one of the farming labors just to keep in practice - but he certainly didn't need all thirty disks! Nor had he asked for them. He looked at the letter again.

The word 'safekeeping' seemed to be a little bolder then most of the others on the page. Emphasized slightly, as it were. That was very curious, now, wasn't it?

Well, he actually liked the people of SV2. Anything he could do to help them out would be a pleasure.

"Call in our labor maintenance team. Check all the batteries," he ordered to his nearest flunky. "Make sure they're all fully charged from now on."

"Yes, boss!" the man cried, immediately running off.

Maybe he'd better up his personal training schedule a bit, as well.

Momoko Sakurayama hesitated. She and Captain Kiichi Gotoh had been secretly exchanging information for months, now, and she'd seen much of what he had about what was coming. Whenever she even tried to write about it, or to comment on it during her TV gig, her superiors would nix the story, saying that there wasn't enough proof (which was bullshit, in her opinion - she and many of the other reporters had published stories on much less data than she'd had) or that 'it was a message the editors didn't want our papertelevision station to report.' Or, in other words, someone up top was being pressured to keep the story quiet. By who was a real question she wished she had an answer for, but she supposed it didn't matter anymore. Given what she'd just heard from her contacts in the military, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it before the story got too big for her editors to continue to ignore it.

Thirty military labors, destroyed in minutes. And not just the older models like the Samsons, but also a large number of Hellfires and Bakers - the backbone of the military's labor force - and the brand new Simons and Amazons as well. The Simons, the military's response to the high-speed threat posed by the Griffon, were wiped out in a matter of moments - they were no match for the vehicle they were built to counter. Nothing else was quick enough to fight it. The Griffon's appearance, itself, was astounding - one hadn't been seen since Noa Izumi's encounter in October of 1999. It was last seen self-destructing after a rather remarkable battle... which no-one had on tape, but that was probably for the best. Gotoh had explained his reasoning to her, and while she felt a LITTLE used, he had given her a good story as compensation.

That was the channel through which they'd continued discussions. Ever since she was 'discovered' and 'thrown off the base,' though, updates were harder and harder to get to each other. Gotoh had given her one new tool to use in gathering information, however - the signal of an old wiretap a certain Yakuza from the Daina group had used on the SV2 which had never been removed. With it, she could hear any phone conversation going to and from the headquarters, and thanks to that she had learned of his suspicions already. The phone call to his niece was an obvious code - he already knew things were coming to a head. He probably didn't know quite how close things were, however.

Just as she was about to call him, the crackling of a bit of static warned her that someone was calling out from the SV2. Quickly, she switched the audio of her wiretap's reciever from speaker to headphone, and decided to listen in secretly.

"Hello?" a deep male voice she'd never heard before answered, obviously on the other end.

"It's me," another voice, one she recognized as belonging to one of the new rookies, answered. Suddenly, there was something in the background from that end, and some sounds of shifting seemed to indicate the owner of the voice was turning his head. "Oh, captain," the distant voice in SV2 headquarters answered. "Yeah, I'll get right on that after this call to my grandparents. Yes, sir, I'll make it short. Thank you, sir!"

"Is he gone?" the deep male voice answered.

"Yeah, now he is. Look, I can't talk long. I've managed to do a significant amount of sabatoge, and I've placed small explosives in various locations. I even managed to find a scapegoat, although they'll discover that he's innocent soon. The only labor I haven't been able to touch is Alphonse - er, Unit two labor one. For some reason, some of Unit Two came up with the idea that the Ingram's feet would be a great place to hold some kind of nightly party. All other heavy equipment outside of that labor and my own Zero, which I'll have out of here tomorrow night, will be ruined by the explosions. You can move in on the morning of the third."

"Good. We'll have someone standing by to guard your escape."

"I've gotta go, now - the Captain's waiting for me, and I don't want to be discovered. This'll be our last communication - I'm taking the phones off-line in ten minutes."

"Good luck. We've already had one major success - the pride of the military was already taken out, and the rest is in confusion. The Kanazawa unit has already been wiped out without getting word out. The third will be the last day any of us will have to work in secret, so don't worry too hard about your cover."

Two clicks indicated the phones were hung up, but Momoko could only sit there in shock.

'Kanazawa's been taken out? The military is being stopped? Why the hell are they worried about SV2, anyway, if they can do THAT?' She paused. 'And how am I going to get word to Captain Gotoh, now?'

Author's note:

The (new) labor names for the military labors mentioned above are a bit of an in joke for me, but since they ARE an in-joke, I figure I should explain them. 'Ingram' is the name of a major wholesale book distributor (one you may not have heard of if you aren't in the industry, however). So, all the new names ("Simons" for Simon and Schuster, "Amazons" for and "Bakers" for Baker and Taylor (the British-based equivalent of Ingram, I believe)) are also major book distributors. The manufacturers all are, or have in the past, built airplanes for the JSDF according to Janes All the Worlds Aircraft 1997-98 (I have more recent copies, but this was the most convenient one to reach).

Season Finale... No New Episodes Until next 'Season.' I'm not entirely sure what I'll do to show this as a season break - I make make major revisions to older episodes (and maybe, finally, REPLACING the Lost Episode with a new Episode 07) or I may finally write up one or two of the dozen or so OAVs I've planned. Regardless, something's going to happen between now and season 2. (Sorry, ladies and gentlemen - that does mean more delays. Urgh.

Next Episode: In the Season 2 Premeire for Patlabor: Personal Files, the SV2 has to deal with the results of a traitor in their midst.


End file.
